Reviews
"In The Soul Also Keeps the Score, Fr. Robert W. McChesney, SJ, offers a highly engaging, readable, and often page-turning examination of how the wisdom of Ignatian spirituality can inform coping with multiple forms of trauma. There has been an explosion of quality research and best clinical and pastoral practices in better understanding diverse trauma experiences and how spiritually can contribute to hope and healing. Fr. McChesney provides an important contribution to this extremely important and timely topic."
Thomas G. Plante, PhD, ABPP, professor of psychology, Santa Clara University
"In this ambitious undertaking, Robert McChesney, SJ, embodies the Ignatian principle of cura personalis: care for the whole person. Convinced by decades of work with traumatized individuals that a siloed approach to care undermines holistic recovery, he brings spiritual and psychological insights to the table and insists that they have a conversation. The Soul Also Keeps the Score is part color commentary on the life and legacy of soul-wounded swashbuckler-turned-saint Ignatius of Loyola, part deep dive into cutting-edge research in trauma studies. Though one half or the other could leave readers feeling a bit out of their depth, that’s where the most profoundly injured among us dwell. Don’t we owe it to those in our care to row out and meet them there? Here Fr. McChesney has crafted a sturdy and engaging vessel, navigating the turbulent waters among disciplines in the service of that most Ignatian of goals: to help souls."
Christine Marie Eberle, author of Finding God Along the Way: Wisdom from the Ignatian Camino for Life at Home
“Drawing upon a rich knowledge of the spirituality of healing, psychology’s understanding of posttraumatic growth, and the amazing life of Ignatius of Loyola, Robert McChesney in The Soul Also Keeps Score teaches us that darkness need not be the final word in life. Instead, it may actually be an opening to new spiritual depth and psychological wisdom that wouldn’t have been possible had the trauma, loss, or significant stress not happened in the first place. In reading this book, I found myself first saying ‘I didn’t know that’ to the point where I was silently exclaiming, ‘I need to remember that!’”
Robert J. Wicks, PsyD, professor emeritus, Loyola University Maryland and author of Bounce: Living the Resilient Life and Riding the Dragon: 10 Lessons in Inner Strength in Challenging Times
"The Soul Also Keeps the Score is a most useful book. It speaks directly to the heart of issues that are so very important but can sometimes seem confusing and overwhelming. Robert W. McChesney, SJ, achieves the seemingly impossible in this book, a deeply considered and well-researched theological study that is readable and adaptable to the modern world."
Murray Davies, veteran of the Australian Defense Force
"McChesney's The Soul Also Keeps the Score presents trauma as an experience that impacts the entire human being, emphasizing that a 'soul wound' affects all aspects of a person—physical, psychological, neural, moral, and spiritual. McChesney draws the reader into a deep understanding of how the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius can play an integral role in the healing journey of victim/survivors of trauma. This text is a valuable resource for clinicians, spiritual directors, or anyone who accompanies individuals who have experienced trauma in recognizing God's presence and love for them, resulting in profound spiritual healing that cannot be obtained from traditional trauma-informed treatment alone."
Kristin Austin, LCSW-C, CCTP, Secretary for Safeguarding, Jesuit Conference of Canada and the U.S.
"The Soul Also Keeps the Score is must-reading for spiritual directors and pastoral ministers today, given contemporary understandings of trauma and its varied expressions. Fr. McChesney helps caregivers understand the experience of trauma survivors and offers wise counsel on how to contribute to their healing of mind, body, and spirit."
Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ, Vice Provost and Executive Director, Fairfield Bellarmine, and author of The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius in Daily Life
"Convincingly situating the younger Ignatius within the historic contradictions of late medieval chivalry and its emphasis on violence and conquest, Robert McChesney contextualizes the Spiritual Exercises for 21st-century survivors of traumatic injury. He argues persuasively that Ignatian spirituality—ever flexible—can contribute in a unique way to the recovery of this population. Based on years of accompaniment of war refugees, military veterans, and survivors of sexual assault and child abuse, the author proposes fresh, trauma-informed readings of key Ignatian exercises and practices, clearly describing their complementarity with current trauma theory and clinical practice. Highly recommended for Christian spiritual and pastoral care practitioners as well as care-seekers, the book is an important contribution to the world of Christian spirituality."
James Martin, SJ, author of Learning to Pray and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything
"Fr. Robert McChesney—in true Jesuit fashion—has discerned the signs of the times and pinpointed exactly how his great gifts, bolstered by the Ignatian tradition, can respond to one of the great needs of our day; namely, how can we better care for those suffering from the effects of trauma? In The Soul Also Keeps the Score, Fr. McChesney draws on a lifetime of walking with and listening to individuals who have endured deep wounds to body and soul to offer us a pastoral, timely and rigorously researched guide to accompanying, caring for and—most importantly—developing greater empathy for those experiencing the effects of trauma. McChesney’s dedication to his work and passion for weaving together the insights of religion, spirituality and psychology make for an essential read, valuable to both professionals in the field of caretaking and those who simply desire to take better care of their loved ones—and themselves."
Eric A. Clayton, author of Finding Peace Here and Now: How Ignatian Spirituality Leads to Healing and Wholeness
"In this engaging and thought-provoking work, Fr. Robert McChesney explores the neglected but essential topic of moral injury as a wounding of the soul. Not only through the lens of the life and spirituality of 16th century St. Ignatius of Loyola, which is fascinating in itself, Fr. Robert also incorporates insight from contemporary trauma-informed approaches and his own experience of working with survivors. I was especially delighted by the author’s recontextualization of Ignatian spirituality for modern readers, especially the Exercises, with a path to healing and spiritual renewal which includes both body and soul. The book’s final chapter "Memory, Understanding and Will," where Fr. Robert engages Judith Herman’s trauma treatment approach with Ignatian moral and spiritual considerations, opens the door to new and exciting possibilities of psychological and spiritual collaboration. As a trauma counselor who seeks to integrate effective psychological treatment with healthy Christian spirituality in an ethical manner, I found this book to be a multidimensional gem, a rich source of wisdom, trauma-informed education, and practical guidance."
Gerry Ken Crete, PhD, LPC, LMFT, Founder, Transfiguration Counseling and Coaching, and co-founder, Souls and Hearts, and author of Litanies of the Heart: Relieving Post-traumatic Stress and Calming Anxiety Through Healing our Parts
"Fr. McChesney’s book is a vivid and well-researched illustration of applied spirituality in the context of today’s world. It makes the case for seeing the world’s population today as a special needs population living through an age of trauma at spiritual injury depth. He shows how St. Ignatius of Loyola as a survivor of violence and its traumatic impact, and Ignatian spirituality with roots in that experience, can be connected to our age of trauma and new research in various fields to provide profound and effective spiritual care resources. Availing of these resources can even result in personalized encounter with a God who sheds tears with us and reaches us where the holistic soul also keeps the score."
Rev. Dr. Michael O’Sullivan, SJ, Executive Director, Spirituality Institute for Research and Education, Ireland, and Past President (2023-2024), International Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality
"In The Soul Also Keeps the Score, Fr. Rob McChesney brings together two worlds that historically have been at odds. He draws on his life’s work of walking with those who have been deeply wounded by trauma, his experiences, his practice of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and on-going reflection and his considerable knowledge of and great respect for the contributions of the field of psychology. He traces the history of both disciplines in extraordinary detail over the centuries, including narratives and a cast of diverse characters that beautifully animate the text. He provides clarity, defines terms and identifies issues and dynamics from both disciplines with the goal of establishing a common ground collaboration in post trauma healing. This work serves as an excellent textbook for those engaged in serving those wounded by trauma. But what makes this text so engaging is that he has populated his text with a warmth and love for the people woven throughout. They serve as an early model for those who will seek to thoughtfully reconnect the spiritual with the psychological, physical and mental therapies, serving in complementary capacities, in collaboration and mutual respect."
Mary Ellen Galvan, Catechist, Corpus Christi Cathedral, Corpus Christi, Texas
“Fr. Rob McChesney’s work is revealing, instructive and immensely important. Regrettably, the number of people displaced by force from the safety of their homes by conflict or disaster, and whose cultures are savaged, increases daily. Trauma unfortunately abounds. Fr. Rob writes from extended field experience in counselling survivors, enhanced by deep research. In this groundbreaking work he generously shares his wisdom and insight.”
Mark Raper, SJ, Former International Director, Jesuit Refugee Service
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