reflections

Update: October 13, 2025

I am participating in an online workshop presented by Fr. McChesney which prompted an update to this post on his new book. I appreciate McChesney's exploration of the intersection of trauma and St. Ignatius' life experiences. However, the author seems to suggest in the book and the workshop that spiritual directors explore a directee's trauma in a spiritual direction session. However, according to widespread teaching, a directee is best served by a psychotherapist when reliving trauma. 

For spiritual growth and personal development, devotional reading or lectio divina.

• The Soul Also Keeps Score, a trauma-informed companion to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Robert McChesney, SJ., 2024

I just finished The Soul also keeps Score, but will re-read it. It is an exploration of spirituality for those who accompany victims / survivors of trauma. The book was published in 2024 and is in step with advances in psychology that suggest the importance off acknowledging the spiritual and moral aspects of trauma. McChesney is also doing virtual and in-person workshops on the topic. You can find him on YouTube as well. --Mary Maio

From Book Jacket: Gain insights into the intersection of Ignatian spirituality and mental health in the healing of trauma.

Research suggests that up to 70% of adults will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. But where does this affliction reside? The bestselling book The Body Keeps the Score introduced readers to the neurobiology of trauma, demonstrating how terror and isolation inhabit and reshape both brain and body. But what about trauma's effects on the soul? In The Soul Also Keeps the Score, Jesuit counselor and chaplain Father Robert McChesney argues that psychology must be complemented by insights from the discipline of spirituality.

In this pioneering work, McChesney interprets the classic sixteenth-century mystical text of the Spiritual Exercises as born in violence to the body and soul of their author, the traumatized, battle-wounded-turned-saint, Ignatius of Loyola. Grounded in Ignatius's colorful narrative and influential pathway to God, McChesney insists that the two languages of mental health and spirituality can speak in one voice. Whether you are a spiritual, pastoral, or mental health professional, member of the care circle, or wounded seeker, The Soul Also Keeps the Score unlocks a treasure trove of fresh insight and hope.