In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we gently put aside the VHS and screen a contemporary work from the DC animated universe. This is our spoiler-free anaysis of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, Black Spider, Killer Frost and, of course, the Joker. This is Batman: Assault on Arkham!

In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we discuss the fascinating neuroscience of dreams and the growing research supporting our ability to control our own actions within them!

In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we delve deeper into Poison Ivy's psychology by exploring her predilection for plants and her fanatic, destructive level of devotion to protect them.

If Batman ended up in an Arkham Asylum cell, would he be deemed "normal?" Or would the Gotham facility known for housing the "criminally insane" keep him under lock and key? Fighting the onset of paranoid delusions and vivid hallucinations, Batman struggles to reveal the real cause of his insanity: The Scarecrow. In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we discuss the experience of being hospitalized for psychiatric reasons, the dangers of labeling people with disorders, and the feelings of dehumanization sometimes perceived by patients in the mental health care system.

How far would you go to earn the affection of someone you love? Send them a roomful of gifts? Surprise them at their doorstep? Advance the science of neurotechnology to a whole new level by developing mind-controlling head accessories? In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we explore the delusions and dangers of obsessive, unrequited love as only personified by the Mad Hatter.

Are Bruce and Dr. Leslie Thompkins enacting a healthy coping method by commermorating the Waynes every year in "Crime Alley?" Or is this a sign of prolonged grief and their inability to move on? In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we discuss how some people who experience trauma and negative life events can get "stuck" on bad thoughts which keep them from overcoing the tragedies in their lives.

It's about time! The Arkham Sessions returns to the analysis of Batman: The Animated Series with a classic favorite, "The Clock King." The title villain is a seemingly harmless, time-obsessed efficiency expert who learns the unfortunate lession that one small change in his schedule can turn him into a vengeful killer. The show delves into the traits and states of people who are obsessive-compulsive and has us asking if rigidity and extreme order can actually cause more harm than good.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Tim Burton's Batman, The Arkham Sessions takes a break from Batman: The Animated Series to pay special tribute to the legendary film that influenced the style, music, and dark themes of the animated show. Is the film, as Burton once described, a story about the intertwined paths of Batman and the Joker, culminating in a "fight between two disturbed people?"  How does Keaton's Bruce Wayne compare to Conroy's version when it comes to the maintenance--or fusion--of multiple identities? How is Nicholson's Joker more destructive and dangerous than Hamill's?  Listen to this special edition of the The Arkham Sessions and reminisce about Batman '89 in a whole new way.

The menacing, sadistic villain Scarecrow escapes from Arkham Asylum and targets all of Gotham's star athletes. But Scarecrow's fear-inducing crimes are actually not the highlight of this episode. Rather, it's the sudden onset of Robin's panic attacks, his struggle to overcome his fears and Batman's surprising expertise in anxiety treatment that take center ring in this satifying episode!

Hidden behind the vicious exterior of sharp teeth and menacing claws is a man who has dealt with disfigurement from a medical condition his whole life. How did this physical deformity impact him psychologically? How realistic is his uncontrollable anger and thirst for revenge? The doc explains how biological, cognitive, emotional and social "pathways" interact to explain how the Croc's life choices are actually understandable.