Keyword: seasonal affective disorder

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Self-Actualization and the Hierarchy of Needs March 11, 2015

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Ben Starr, Charlie Schwinkert, Giullian Gioiello
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Armand DiMele walks through Maslow’s full hierarchy of needs, from biological survival to self-actualization, with co-hosts Giullian Gioiello and Ben Starr and jazz drummer Charlie Schwinkert. The group explores what drives creative satisfaction, how appreciation vanishes in low moods, and how to move through fear by feeling it fully rather than suppressing it.

Irritability and the Weather July 8, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Bernie Starr, Dr. Maria Grace, Karen, Patricia Miranda, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Irritability turns out to be closer to fear than anger, and closer to tears than most people realize. Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, trace how weather, hormones, serotonin, fatigue, and vitamin D deprivation all converge to push the nervous system toward that hair-trigger state, and callers weigh in with their own experiences.

Surviving Extreme Environments with Emily Anthes April 22, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Emily Anthes, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Society, Culture & Current Events, The Mind & Neuroscience

What happens to the human mind when you’re trapped with strangers in Antarctica or a Mars simulation capsule for months? Emily Anthes, Science Journalist and Author, joins Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, to examine how extreme isolation, cold, and darkness disrupt mood, hormones, and group cohesion in ways that mirror everyday life under pressure.

Moods and How They Shape Us June 17, 2008

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Depression & Mood, Emotions & Inner Life

What exactly is a mood, and why do people sometimes cling to their worst ones? Armand DiMele breaks down the anatomy of mood, from Robert Thayer’s energy-tension model to the full spectrum of human emotional states, and explains why exercise, food, alcohol, and sex all serve as mood regulators. Caller stories about a bipolar spouse and a man who refused to give up his depression add vivid texture.

Cold Weather and the Human Psyche February 21, 2007

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Atti
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Society, Culture & Current Events

Cold weather does far more than chill the body. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti trace how dropping temperatures raise blood pressure, suppress serotonin, trigger overeating, and historically fueled human violence and territoriality, while also arguing that cold is the unlikely cradle of creativity, intimacy, and art.

Why Depressives Respond to Pain Not Pleasure April 6, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Depression & Mood, Emotions & Inner Life

Depression is not a benign mood but an active, brain-damaging condition, and cheering someone up is the wrong approach. Armand DiMele explains why depressed people respond to pain and negativity rather than pleasure, and how validating rather than contradicting a depressed person can open a way through.

Holiday Depression with Dr. Michael B. Schachter Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Michael B. Schachter, Kent Robertshaw
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Depression & Mood

Why do holidays hit so hard? Armand DiMele and Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, Psychiatrist, explore the biology and psychology of seasonal depression, joined by Dr. Michael B. Schachter, MD, Author, who draws on his book about depression to discuss vitamin D, melatonin, light therapy, and the genetic roots of seasonal mood shifts.

Holiday Depression with Dr. Michael B. Schachter Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Kent Robert Short, Dr. Michael B. Schachter
Category: Depression & Mood, Meaning, Spirituality & Philosophy

The holidays bring the year’s highest rates of despair, and Armand DiMele and Dr. Kent Robert Short dig into why: family expectations, economic inequality, and the grief of absences. Dr. Michael B. Schachter, MD, Author, joins by phone to explain how reduced sunlight depletes vitamin D and disrupts melatonin, and what actually helps.

How Weather Shapes Your Mood and Body Undated

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Depression & Mood, Emotions & Inner Life

Weather does far more than set the scene for your day. Armand DiMele traces how barometric pressure, light cycles, temperature, and humidity influence blood pH, hormones, arthritis, migraines, anxiety, and depression, and argues that simply recognizing your own weather sensitivity can help you manage your emotional and physical life better.