Keyword: nervous system

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Anxiety as Friend and Foe with Dr. Sarah Denning March 26, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Sarah Denning
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Personal Growth & Change

Anxiety can motivate or paralyze, and the difference often comes down to catching it early. Dr. Sarah Denning, Founder of Adaptive Behavioral Therapy, joins Armand DiMele to map anxiety from low-grade nervousness to full panic attacks, introducing a stress scale and practical tools for identifying and lowering anxiety in the moment.

Phobias and Secondary Gain March 20, 2013

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Emotions & Inner Life

Phobias are never just about the feared object. Armand DiMele argues that every phobia carries a hidden secondary gain, an unconscious payoff such as withdrawal from adult responsibility, and that understanding this dynamic is the real key to treatment. The episode covers agoraphobia, paranoia, and a catalogue of named phobias.

The Physiology of Anxiety and Fear with Dr. William Astwood March 19, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. William Astwood
Category: Anxiety & Fear, The Mind & Neuroscience

Anxiety, excitement, and fear are physiologically identical. Armand DiMele and Dr. William Astwood break down the fight-or-flight response in plain language, explaining how the sympathetic nervous system drives panic, phobias, obsessions, and social anxiety, and how understanding the body’s mechanics can restore a sense of control.

The Nervous System and Hypochondria July 29, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel
Category: Anxiety & Fear, The Mind & Neuroscience

Fear of illness can be as debilitating as illness itself. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. walk through common neurological symptoms people misread or obsess over, from vertigo and wide-based gait to hypochondriasis, including how caretaker dynamics and secondary gain keep health anxiety alive.

Your Nervous System and How You Communicate August 2, 2007

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Communication & Conflict, The Mind & Neuroscience

What derails an otherwise simple conversation? Armand DiMele argues the culprit is usually physiology, not psychology. Drawing on the autonomic nervous system, he traces how sympathetic overload turns minor irritations into blowups, and teaches listeners to self-monitor their nervous state before engaging the people they love.

Smiling Your Way to Calm July 3, 2007

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Anxiety & Fear, The Mind & Neuroscience

The vagus nerve, not exercise or meditation, may be the most direct route to calming stress. Armand DiMele draws on neuroscientist Stephen Porges’s polyvagal theory to argue that a genuine smile, social engagement, and facial muscle activation can switch the brain from threat mode to rest faster than a workout.

The Power of Human Touch June 28, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Neil Shatka, Jean Liedloff, Roberta Maria Atti
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Without touch, infants die and adults wither. Armand and co-host Roberta Maria Atti trace the evolutionary roots of touch from homunculus brain maps to the Tellington method, while examining how American culture’s deep ambivalence about physical contact has produced high rates of child beatings and low rates of nurturing affection. Jean Liedloff, Author, whose Amazon fieldwork inspired the previous episode, hovers over the discussion.

Fear Behind Every Difficult Behavior Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Atti
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Emotions & Inner Life

Almost all erratic, confusing, or harmful human behavior traces back to fear. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti walk through the evolutionary roots of fear, its biochemistry, and how recognizing that someone is frightened rather than attacking changes everything about how we respond to them.