From Boy to Man in Recovery ep1From Boy to Man in Recovery ep1
Father Bill W.
Father Bill W. and two guests use Robert A. Johnson’s Parsifal and Fisher King myth to talk about masculine wounding, recovery and spiritual growth. The conversation mixes humour, personal stories and psychology to show how ancient narratives can reflect modern struggles with addiction and inner pain.
56:25•15 Jul 2026
From Fisher King Wounds to Inner Fools: Growing Up Sober
Episode Overview
- Myths like the Fisher King story can mirror the inner wounds many men carry into adulthood and recovery.
- Outward success and comfort often fail to touch deeper pain, leaving people feeling cut off from real happiness.
- Spiritual practice and inner work can ease suffering, even if they don’t offer instant or complete relief.
- Reconnecting with the "inner fool" or adolescent self can open surprising doors to healing and growth.
- Playful, seemingly foolish activities may help unlock buried energy and make adult life more liveable.
“Because I am a Fisher king and am wounded and cannot touch any of this happiness.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This first part of a new series follows Father Bill W. and two guests, James R. and Jamie, as they connect recovery with myth, depth psychology, and the messy business of growing up. You’ll hear them unpack Robert A.
Johnson’s book *He: Understanding Masculine Psychology*, focusing on the medieval story of Parsifal and the Holy Grail as a way of looking at how boys become men in service to “a Power greater than himself.” The conversation blends humour and honesty, with Father Bill joking that if they don’t have fun, he’s going to quit.
A big chunk of the episode looks at the Fisher King wound — that moment when a boy “naively blundered into something that is too big for him” and realises the world isn’t all joy and safety. The guests share their own versions of this: childhood shame, alcoholic homes, religious confusion, geographical cures and the hollow feeling of having a good life on paper but still hurting inside.
As one line puts it, some men feel, “Because I am a Fisher king and am wounded and cannot touch any of this happiness.” For people in recovery, it’s striking how closely this myth echoes the experience of alcoholism: seeing others “drink with impunity” while feeling cut off from real fulfilment.
The trio talk about inner work, morning quiet time, and even seemingly silly practices like shooting a bow or buying a BB gun as ways of reconnecting with the “inner fool” — the younger, hopeful self who might actually hold the key to healing. If you’re curious how myth, masculinity and the 12 Steps can all speak to the same wound, this episode offers a thoughtful, often funny starting point.
What part of your own story might be quietly asking for that kind of attention?
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