This is the Italian American Podcast, and in this episode, Dolores Alfieri Taranto talks to Dr. Christopher Fasano, who is our co-host Anthony Fasano’s brother. We talk about a subject called “blood memory”, otherwise known as “genetic memory,” and how this influences who we are today.
Today’ segment features Mallorie Vaudoise, a Brooklyn-based spiritualist and author of the blog, ItalianFolkMagic.com. She will be speaking about St. Lucy in the first of several segments on saints and their feast days.
Tweetables
- Blood memory topics really resonate with people. – Dolores Alfieri Taranto
- As someone who grew up in a traditional Italian family, you want to believe that there is a scientific component to blood memory. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- When you see a saint carrying one of those (a palm frond), it means that saint was martyred. – Mallorie Vaudoise
- New studies have shown that when you are born, you are not just a blank slate. In fact, you are born pretty wired with certain things passed on to you by your family or tradition. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- She might [Italian grandmothers] have prayed to Sant Lucia if someone in the family contracted malocchio or the evil eye. – Mallorie Vaudoise
- There is a lot of evidence that shows that memory or knowledge is given to you based on the experience of the parents. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- To me, my Italian experience, culture and how I grew up was my life. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t be who I am today. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- I personally don’t think that we are just a blank slate, completely void of any sort of genetic influence of tradition and culture. I think the brain is a lot smarter than that. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- A person’s strength is only as strong as the reinforcement by experience. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- There is an overwhelming majority of Italian Americans who still feel very connected to their heritage. – Dolores Alfieri Taranto
- In the Italian American culture, we gravitate more towards Italian Americans as we ultimately feel more comfortable when we are around our own because we are genetically sharing information. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- When the Italians had nothing and were busy dying, they looked to their faith and religion to get them through. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- If you don’t have children yet, you can possibly give them a deep sense and connection to their heritage if you currently have one yourself. – Dolores Alfieri Taranto
- As a human being, you are only a product of the generations before you. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- Italian Americans love the drama of coming together because that is where they feel most comfortable. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- Children are not being raised in the same way as before and are not in the same environment anymore. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- When you give a child everything they want, you are setting them up for mass failure in the future as they won’t be able to self-regulate their own emotions when they go out on their own because they have always had it done for them. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- Children need to be talked and spoken to and they need to understand the importance of communication. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- Life is like an endless hail storm, but your family is like a safety net that you can always fall back to. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- What is great about the Italian American family coming together is that they are there for everyone no matter what and there is always going to be someone there that you can fall back on. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- I remember being younger and having this sense that I can do anything and that was a direct result of knowing that I have this foundation to fall back on. – Dolores Alfieri Taranto
- Sunday dinners allow me to always know that I will get to see my family. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
- Italian Americans all come with these marks that make us more Italian American. It is now our duty to continue reinforcing it with traditions. – Christopher Fasano, Ph.D
About our Guests
Christopher Fasano is a Ph.D. trained neuroscientist with a passion for promoting the positive effects of communication on brain development and mental health. After spending years researching how stressors affect brain development, Dr. Fasano has a unique perspective on the mental stress young children feel as they grow up and blends his scientific knowledge with parenting experience to have meaningful discussions on topics relevant to children, their parents, and educators.
Like many of us, Dr. Fasano is alarmed by the rise of mental health issues amongst our children, and their families, and hopes to provide a resource and point of discussion as to how we can raise more mentally strong children. Dr. Fasano has years of experience hosting podcasts and utilizes an engaging communication style to entertain and educate listeners.
Mallorie Vaudoise
Mallorie Vaudoise, author of the blog, ItalianFolkMagic.com, is a Brooklyn-based spiritualist of Italian descent, with her mother’s family hailing from Campania and her father’s family from Abruzzo. She studies Southern Italian music and dance with world-renowned folk artist Alessandra Belloni. She believes that music, food, wine, and kissing are vital tools of spiritual evolution.
Episode Sponsors
Resources Mentioned
The New Neighborhood
The Italian American Podcast Itunes
Better Mental Health Podcast
Italian Folk Magic
Is our reverence for la famiglia genetic?
Grazie Mille,
Anthony Fasano and Dolores Alfieri Taranto
Co-Hosts, The Italian American Podcast[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/7861199/height-orig/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/height/90″ height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”bottom” theme=”custom”]
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