A single moment on a church baseball field set a lifelong script: feeling invisible, unchosen, and unsure how to be a man. That early wound threads through this raw conversation with Yasser as we trace a path from strict Protestant roots and adolescent shame to marriage, internet-fueled addiction, nervous breakdown, and the long, messy search for wholeness. Along the way, deconstruction stripped away old beliefs, cultural pressure blurred lines, and “try harder” spirituality left the core problem untouched.

Everything pivots when a kind doctor offers Arabic lessons and Al-Fatiha's “Guide us to the Straight Path” cut through the noise. Conversion to Islam wasn’t a cure-all, but it became a solid frame for real change. We unpack what “horizontal healing” looks like: therapy that teaches naming feelings before acting out; brotherhood through Straight Struggle and Strong Support; experiential work with Brothers Road and Journey Into Manhood; and the daily structure of 12 Steps and Sexaholics Anonymous. The wins are humble and real: months of sobriety counted one day at a time, a marriage tempered by honesty, and a father-son bond strengthened by truth rather than performance.

This episode sits with the hard questions: Why does vertical faith fail when relationships are broken? How do grief and cultural narratives fuel relapse? What actually helps when willpower and prayer alone don’t? Yasser's story offers a hopeful vision: progress over perfection, surrender over secrecy, and service over shame.

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Background music for most podcast episodes: "Pandemia" by MaxKoMusic (Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0)