Psychology After Dark

The story of the life of Jesus Christ is one of the most quintessential in all of humanity, and is celebrated across many cultures. And yet, many argue that parts of his life are still shrouded in mystery. His complicated relationship with the enigmatic Mary Magdalene, for instance, is one such mystery. Some scholars argue that Mary Magdalene was more than just a follower of Jesus, but a spiritually realized partner who would continue to teach after his death and resurrection. What are the teachings of Mary Magdalene? How was her role in the life of Jesus Christ marginalized in history? How does an acknowledgment of a divine feminine side of the Jesus mythology change-and potentially enrich-the understanding of his teachings? Join Dr. Morelos as he interviews author and fellow transpersonal scholar Lauri Ann Lumby about the secret teachings of Mary Magdalene. This special bonus episode drops Wednesday, January 12th!!! SPOILER ALERT: David and Lauri discuss plot lines from the The Matrix Resurrections movie in this episode! Hopefully we don’t give away too much!

After his death, Vincent van Gogh’s work became some of the most instantly recognizable paintings ever laid to canvas. While he was alive he was relatively unknown, broke, in poor health, and suffering from what was most likely a severe mental illness. Van Gogh would help create the story of the “tortured artist,” or one whose mental illness blessed his art but destroyed his life. This concept has become so common place in western culture that many have referred to it as a cliché, with countless other famous artists being diagnosed with mental illnesses posthumously. What is the connection between mental illness and creativity? Why does it seem that the most creative artists can also be the most mentally unstable? Can talented artists harness some of this so-called creative madness to create art without losing themselves to it completely? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they explore the connection between artistic expression and mental illness.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode describes extreme acts of sexual violence and murder. Listener discretion is advised. Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka met on a balmy summer night in Toronto, Canada, in 1987. They had an instant attraction, as each seemed to indulge the dark psychological longings of the other. Paul, who had already begun building a career as a prolific serial rapist, seemed to find his perfect mate: a dependent, sexually extreme and emotionally unaffected woman who catered and indulged his every twisted whim. Together their relationship created an incredibly toxic and dark collaboration that would see at least three young women brutally sexually assaulted and murdered. How do paraphilias like sexual sadism manifest in people and how does this differ from psychopathy? How does the darkness of two sick personalities come together in a destructive kind of synergy that amplifies the other and creates something horrifically new? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they discuss the case of the Ken and Barbie Killers.

According to legend, President Abraham Lincoln once had a dream that foreshadowed his death at the hands of an assassin. In the dream, he even saw the exact location his body would be laid to rest. Legend also had it that Lincoln was a known follower of the spiritualist movement, and that there were many instances where he seemed to predict the future. Is time a linear construct or something more fluid? Why do we sometimes feel as if we can foretell events that have yet to pass? How does the wisdom of our body give us information in which to make sometimes fateful decisions? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they discuss the lesser-known history of President Abraham Lincoln and the concept of precognition.

In the 1970s, the CIA, motivated by intelligence about Soviet espionage experiments, developed a program to create so-called “psychic spies.” Using first-person accounts of astral projection popularized by the New Age movement of the 1960s, the military began experimenting with protocols meant to create conditions in the brain that would, theoretically, allow a person’s consciousness to leave the physical body. It was hoped that this “remote viewing” practice would allow spies to then obtain useful and actionable information about enemies of the United States. It was reported that before the program was officially ended in 1995, the US Army would spend a total of 20 million dollars on the project and return with no useful military information. How does our consciousness dance with the physical limitations of our bodies? Can our brains be trained to experience supernatural occurrences? Just how “real” are these experiences? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they discuss Project Stargate.

On February 1, 2012, barista Samantha Koenig was abducted from her job in a small coffee kiosk in Anchorage, Alaska. Samantha’s disappearance kicked off a frantic manhunt for her kidnapper who used her debit card to withdraw money across the southwest. When a keen-eyed Texas State Trooper pulled over a suspicious white Ford Focus, it was then that law enforcement got their first look at Israel Keyes. With items belonging to Samantha in his car, Alaskan police and the FBI would soon learn the grisly full extent of Israel Keyes’ crimes, leading some to refer to him as “the most meticulous serial killer of the 21st century.” Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they discuss the psychology of serial killer Israel Keyes.

Ever wonder what goes through the mind of a horror film creator? Mix yourself a libation, get cozy, and find out how some of our dark psychological corners can inspire some amazing art. On this dark and stormy night, Drs. Micono and Morelos have an intimate conversation with indie film director Jess Costa.

In 1972 Dr. George Owen, a university lecturer, geneticist, mathematician and member of the Toronto Society for Psychical Research, recruited eight other members of the TSPR for an experiment. The experiment, designed to determine if ghosts were real or mental projections of the living, tasked the participants with creating a character with a vaguely historical persona, but not based on any single known person from the past. The eight participants would then attempt to summon one fictional Philip Aylesford, as he was named, with widely known séance techniques used to communicate with the dead. A series of unexplained and disturbing events quickly followed, with many witnessing the participants seemingly interacting with the fictional entity. Can we truly communicate with forms of disembodied consciousness? Can a group of people, working together, project psychic energy capable of manipulating the physical world? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they discuss the historical Philip Experiment.

On the morning of April 27th, 2017, flights carrying roughly 500 people from Miami began landing on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas for what was promised to be the most luxurious and exclusive musical festival ever produced. The event, named Fyre Festival by entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper/celebrity Ja Rule, was a marketing promotion for the Fyre App, an application created to hire talent for social events. While initially an exciting idea promoted by numerous supermodels and other social media influencers, planning for the music festival was quickly plagued by logistical hurdles, beginning when McFarland and Ja Rule lost the lease on the original location when they violated an agreement made with the island’s owners. With four months left to organize the festival, McFarland and his team pushed forward, piecing together what would become an infamous disaster as every aspect of the festival quickly broke down, leaving the attendees stuck on a remote part of the island without a way off. How does marketing in the digital age interact with our psycho/social programming? Who are “con men” and how do they use our basic psychology against us? How did this fiasco reinforce common stereotypes about the psychology of the Millennial generation? Join us as Drs. Micono and Morelos discuss Fyre Festival.

In 1983 a mother named Judy Johnson accused teachers at a preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, of physically and sexually abusing her young son. A number of other employees, many of whom were related to the owner and founder of the school, were also named as perpetrators. As police began an investigation into the matter, Judy Johnson’s stories became more and more extreme, involving numerous other children, and suggesting what would later become known as “Satanic Ritual Abuse.” Problems acquiring physical evidence and reliable information from the children further inflamed the accusations against the school and its employees. What followed was the single most expensive and spectacular prosecutorial failure in United States history, as well-meaning law enforcement officials and child advocates became swept up in the “satanic panic” hysteria. How do we advocate for our children without succumbing to irrational fears about their safety? How do we avoid scapegoating others in a rush to justify our own feelings of anxiety? Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they discuss the McMartin Trial.

Has anyone ever told you, “You are your own worst enemy?” Even the smartest people can make incredibly bad decisions, often sabotaging their own goals and even bringing harm to others. Drs. Rob Barrett and Louis Francescutti have taken this basic idea and applied their respective expertise to look at why we often make decisions that are bad for our overall health, despite having volumes of information at our finger tips. In this interview you will discover how the most primitive part of our brain interacts with the abundance of the digital age; how to avoid the one place in every community that can be more dangerous for your health than a war zone; how to deal with the unexpected social problem that’s worse for you than smoking; what the single most important day-to-day requirement is for sound decision making; how to tell a good story and why storytelling is important in the information age; what the simplest and most effective way is to increase your happiness, instantly; how these current dark times can (and probably will) lead to an amazing cultural renaissance; and last but not least, where to find Canada’s tastiest chocolate milk. Join Drs. Micono and Morelos as they interview the authors of the book, Hardwired: How Our Instincts to be Healthy are Making Us Sick.

On November 13, 1974, Ronald Defeo Jr. burst into a local bar pleading for help. When bar patrons arrived at his house they found six of his relatives dead, each shot at point-blank range. The grisly murders then led to a theatrical trial where Defeo claimed he was mentally insane due to numerous voices in his head that commanded him to kill his family. After Defeo’s conviction for the murders, the Lutz family, believing that they were getting a bargain, quickly bought the house the Defeo’s were murdered in, including much of the Defeo’s old furniture. 28 days later, the Lutz family fled the house claiming that 112 Ocean Ave. was haunted by malevolent forces. The Lutz family claim was backed up by renowned paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren, who stated that 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville New York was the most evil they had ever encountered in one place. What is the nature of pure evil? Does evil manifest in people and places through supernatural means or are there other explanations at work? Join us as Drs. Micono and Morelos discuss the legend of the Amityville Haunting.

On the morning of February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms arrived with close to 100 agents to serve a warrant for illegal firearms in what they called Operation Trojan Horse. What followed was one of the worst firefights in law enforcement history, as agents of the ATF faced off with a heavily armed group known as the Branch Davidians. Two hours later, four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians would lay dead. The FBI soon assumed control of the confrontation, engaging the Branch Davidians in 51-day standoff. Three sides quickly emerged in the chaos. On one side were the Branch Davidians who claimed they were being unfairly persecuted for their beliefs. Directly opposed were the FBI HRT tactical teams who believed that they were facing off with a cult of cop killers and child molesters. Somewhere in between, a team of FBI negotiators were pleading with both sides, desperately trying to avoid what would become a tragic ending. What is the psychological effect of an increasingly militarized police force on citizens? Can a tremendous show of force ever lead to a peaceful resolution? What lessons did the FBI and ATF learn from this tragedy? Join us as Drs. Micono and Morelos explore the siege at Waco Part 2: The “Good” Guys.