The Psychology of the Menendez Bros (Chapter 5: The Horror)
Added 2025-06-04 11:00:06 +0000 UTCDr Kirk and Humberto explore the Menendez Bros case.
00:00 How do sexually abused children behave?
13:35 What drives high achievers?
26:38 How could the father also be homophobic?
32:18 Erik's testimony of abuse
1:32:47 Predicting the verdict
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June 4, 2025
The Psychology In Seattle Podcast ®
Trigger Warning: This episode may include topics such as assault, trauma, and discrimination. If necessary, listeners are encouraged to refrain from listening and care for their safety and well-being.
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Comments
1:07:40 Berto sharing this experience and you talking him through it did in fact help me unpack some stuff that I went through that caused me a similar reaction. I have CPTSD and this described how I was feeling in my body perfectly. Feeling grateful that he chose to share this with us. Take care of yourselves.
✨tay✨
2026-01-07 18:10:34 +0000 UTCThe conversation about sue movement remind me of what we’ve learned about coevolution in dogs! They have a lot more eyebrow movement than wolves and the speculation is that it comes from our preference for expressions to read!
Colleen
2025-10-28 20:09:26 +0000 UTCPlease look into Gypsy Rose again. I used to believe her. There's a whole movement trying to correct the narrative. Start with the fact that she has (and HID until someone else came out with it) a genetic chromosome condition called microdeletion. Which explains every single surgery she had. Her stories are totally contradictory and are quite clearly lies. Please look into it. I'm trying to get the word out there. Also, she planned it for 2 1/2 years.
Haley Kukan
2025-10-07 11:22:37 +0000 UTCThank you for sharing your story. Also love your Foo Fighters shirt.
Sabrina B.
2025-06-12 13:03:27 +0000 UTCHumberto, I hope you take care of yourself in these moments, because you deserve it too ! Sending positive energy your way.
juliana reider
2025-06-10 01:05:42 +0000 UTCHumberto sharing so openly, and Kirk listening with curiousity and the absence of judgement is so healing. They must trust each other immensely.
Anna Haasler
2025-06-08 07:37:53 +0000 UTCDr Honda is in for a shock with the verdict
Olivia Kanyo
2025-06-06 18:56:48 +0000 UTCThe interviews kill me. As a mom a piece of me dies inside. I just want to give them both a hug and protect them even though they’re old men now
Olivia Kanyo
2025-06-06 17:48:51 +0000 UTCAs a non-clinician, I will comfortably say that, yes, if these accounts are true, these parents should have been wiped from the face of the earth. They surely would have been murdered had they gone to prison
Charity Dixon
2025-06-05 19:46:26 +0000 UTC@33:42 when I was in a bad accident (amputation of hand, severe 10/10 pain, coding emergencies, etc. in ICU) and in hospital for 3 months, I had a nurse tell me I "have to learn to go inside the dark spots of mind like you hear about in kids that are abused" and it was a crappy way to say it but I was in such agony 24/7 that I tried it, and I got myself to the point where I could only envision blackness like blacker than when you just close your eyes, and slow my breathing, probably my heart rate, that I even ended up able to do a nerve block in my neck without anesthetic because I could dissappear to a black nothingness in my mind. When I first came home still in severe constant pain, my Mom later told me "I could see you dissaper inside yourself from the physical pain and it scared me" However now on pain meds, pain controlled, even when I try now, I'm unable to. I could only do it under duress, but I could completely pull myself in and out of it willingly & I could hear the doctors but it muffled, like listening to music playing in another room. I've never heard anyone else talk about this so it was nice hearing Dr. Honda explain.
Chels
2025-06-05 11:08:34 +0000 UTCHumberto, thank you for you vulnerability and sensitivity to share your expierence and empathy for the brothers....It's such a strength and encouraging for others of shared experiences.
Chels
2025-06-05 10:25:29 +0000 UTCIm sorry that it is hard here for you. Glad you are here.
Kendra Bean
2025-06-05 01:16:46 +0000 UTCHumberto, thank you for everything you shared in order to help others. I'm glad that you got a realization for yourself even though it was uncomfortable.
Kendra Bean
2025-06-05 01:01:26 +0000 UTCI could be wrong but I swear I recall family members testifying Eric would become very distressed if there was no lemons in the house as well.
Katie
2025-06-04 20:36:48 +0000 UTCI didn’t know much about the case and believed the spoiled rich kid narrative and after finally sitting down, consuming all that I could and listening to the trial I broke down because I also had been SA’d by family members and it was something I never wanted to think about, admit to myself, and I never watched a court case before so seeing someone talk about it the way Lyle and Eric did just hit me like a freight train. Aside from all that I just wanted to say y’all are truly doing a fantastic job!!!
Katie
2025-06-04 17:44:32 +0000 UTCHumberto was so brave to talk about what happened to him
Catpol
2025-06-04 15:51:54 +0000 UTCOne part of Erick’s declaration was when he said that the only way to feel love from his father was while he was being abused. Outside of that bedroom he would only hear his father hate on him and being verbally abusive.
Denisse Hernandez
2025-06-04 15:08:47 +0000 UTCHumberto, as a victim of CSA myself, one of my perpetrators was an male adult, and, at the same time in my life, without the other perpetrator knowing, the second was my older sisters female "best friend". I was about 5-6 and she was 13ish based on my sisters age. I can totally understand your confusion and trauma you have had to go through and recover from and I thank you for being so open and honest and strong. I respect the hell out of you. I started as a fan fo Dr. Honda and I have quickly become a massive fan of you too. 💜
A.J
2025-06-04 14:29:04 +0000 UTCI think Dr. Honda should know before the outcome of the case just how much evidence supported the boys' claims, from witness testimony to Erik's throat injury. That information is vital to really understanding the impact of the courts decision. It's one thing not to believe Erik and Lyle's testimonies, it's another to ignore hard evidence.
Leah Brundige
2025-06-04 14:10:58 +0000 UTCThank you for this episode, the series has been very interesting and allowed for so many difficult subject and thank you also for your vulnerability Humberto!
Louise Dolbeau
2025-06-04 12:52:34 +0000 UTCOn over achieving as an immigrant: for me, I was an overachiever, although not as extreme as Jose, my parents could only work minimum wage jobs in the US when we immigrated here. They wanted to go back to their country as soon as we (the kids) were independent. On one hand, I didn't think I'd have the support as an adult, so I had to become independent, no other option. Also, life of an immigrant can be really hard in the US, so seeing my parents endure so much hardship for my sake so that I'd have a better life, failure just wasn't an option. I couldn't disappoint them when they spent years in a country where they don't speak the language, deal with racism, given up their entire pre-inmigration lives for me, all in the hopes of me and my siblings having better lives. I had to work as hard as I could to not let all of their sacrifices go to waste.
Anna
2025-06-04 12:26:47 +0000 UTCI have been waiting for this !
Anna Zalutska
2025-06-04 11:44:11 +0000 UTC
