Psychology After Dark
Two professionals in the field of psychology from wildly different theoretical and practical orientations getting together to take a look at the dark side of the human condition.
Episodes
January 12, 2022 • 53 mins
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 conti...
Mark as Played
November 8, 2021 • 48 mins
In January of 2002 the Spotlight investigative team for the Boston Globe dropped a bombshell when they revealed a story about sexual abuse within the local archdiocese of the Catholic Church. Boston, a heavily Catholic city, was left reeling as it learned of a total of 87 priests who had been accused of child sexual assault but were never brought to justice. Instead, the church leadership at the time opted to treat the offenders wi...
Mark as Played
October 25, 2021 • 46 mins
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 ...
Mark as Played
October 11, 2021 • 46 mins
1980 would change the lives of Robert Shafran, Edward Galland, and David Kellman forever. Each had been living separate lives as young men growing up in New York during the 1970s. When a case of mistaken identity led Shafran to Galland, a beautiful story started to emerge of long-lost twins, each adopted to different parents in their infancy. As news of the remarkable story spread, the mother of David Kellman also noticed. Could it...
Mark as Played
September 27, 2021 • 49 mins
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, sexua...
Mark as Played
September 13, 2021 • 59 mins
From a humble beginning in Littlefield, Texas, to Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Dr. Richard Nisbett has lived an extraordinary life as a widely influential social psychologist, the key points of which he explores in his new book, Thinking: A Memoir. In this interview, Dr. Nisbett talks about his contributions to psychological research including common thinking errors people make as it pertains to think...
Mark as Played
August 30, 2021 • 36 mins
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 ...
Mark as Played
August 16, 2021 • 54 mins
On June 20, 2001, a woman named Andrea Yates called her local police dispatch and requested the presence of officers to her home, refusing to give any specific reason for the request. When officers arrived, they found that Andrea had killed all five of her young children by drowning them in the family bathtub. In the spectacular trial that followed, America became fixated on Andrea’s religious motivations, her comprehension of the ...
Mark as Played
August 2, 2021 • 39 mins
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 th...
Mark as Played
July 19, 2021 • 33 mins
Molly Maeve Eagan met Lizzy Hershberger when Lizzy was working on a book about her experiences growing up as a daughter in a devout Amish family. Molly, working as a memoir coach and ghost writer, eagerly agreed to help. Something interesting happened as Lizzy and Molly talked more about the project, however, and a larger and darker narrative started to emerge. Eventually, Molly convinced Lizzy to tell a much more personal and powe...
Mark as Played
July 5, 2021 • 41 mins
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 Samanth...
Mark as Played
June 28, 2021 • 33 mins
Approximately 3,500 babies die unexpectedly each year. This often kicks off a spiral of grief that parents will carry with them for the rest of their lives. In this special bonus episode, Drs. Micono and Morelos interview Jen Iacino-Taylor, founder of Little Man’s Legacy Foundation, about her experience losing her three-month old son and how it inspired her work to raise awareness and help grieving parents. Join us as we talk about...
Mark as Played
April 19, 2021 • 38 mins
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.
Mark as Played
March 1, 2021 • 40 mins
In July of 1984, a man broke into the apartment of Jennifer Thompson in Burlington, North Carolina, and raped her at knifepoint. During the attack, the perpetrator uttered a threat that became forever imprinted in the mind of Thompson. This threat would eventually lead to the arrest and conviction of one Ronald Cotton who was picked out from a line-up, in part, by the sound of his voice. Ronald Cotton would go on to serve 11 years...
Mark as Played
February 15, 2021 • 39 mins
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 ei...
Mark as Played
February 1, 2021 • 37 mins
On October 29, 1901, police inspectors arrested Jane Toppan on suspicion of the murder of four members of the prominent Davis family to whom Toppan was employed as a private nurse. Generally well-regarded by her peers, “Jolly” Jane, so-called for her sunny disposition, was born Honora Kelly, the daughter of Irish immigrants. With a mother who passed away from tuberculosis when Jane was only one year old, and a father who was commit...
Mark as Played
January 18, 2021 • 44 mins
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 i...
Mark as Played
January 4, 2021 • 47 mins
In October of 2013, a crypto-anarchist named Ross Ulbricht was arrested and charged with being the primary administrator of a website called The Silk Road, a place hidden in the so-called dark web where illegal drugs could be bought and sold with complete anonymity. While the United States government was aware of the illegal sale of these controlled substances on the dark web, it took them a full two years to identify the website’s...
Mark as Played
December 21, 2020 • 33 mins
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...
Mark as Played
December 7, 2020 • 40 mins
In April of 2000, 10 year old Candace Newmaker was treated with a controversial therapy meant to help her deal with her mental health diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder. Referred to a well-regarded clinic in Evergreen, Colorado, Candace and her adoptive mother would undergo a technique known as “rebirthing,” whereby Candace was wrapped in pillows and blankets and forced to fight her way out while the therapists resisted her ...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.