It is well-known that Saint Ignatius lived during a time of war. He had a short military career as a soldier, was injured in a battle, and confined to a bed to recover from his injuries. He had a lot of time on his hands and needed physical, psychological, and spiritual healing. Therein lies the very
brief origin story of a contemplative, silent approach to prayer that we now refer to as Ignatian spirituality.
Like the times of Saint Ignatius, our current times are fraught with wars, division, and psychological turmoil. The late Pope Francis seemed to be on to something when he referred to the Church as a field hospital. Put more bluntly, it seems entirely reasonable to wonder if the world is going to hell in a handbasket?! The cacophony of noise and divisions may be embedded within our culture right now, but we have agency to live differently. In fact, a fundamental truth of our Catholic faith is that every human being is created by God with free will. Free will is part of our human dignity. Last year, the Vatican published Dignitas Infinita (on Human Dignity), which reaffirmed our inherent dignity with one clearly stated exclamation: “Every human person possesses an infinite dignity.” Infinite dignity – pause to reflect on infinite dignity.
Pausing to reflect is one antidote to the modern conundrum of noise, distraction, and busyness. Recall the wise words of Cardinal Robert Sarah, “Silence is more important than any other human work, for it expresses God; it leads us toward God and others so as to place ourselves humbly and generously at their service.” Silence is quiet and quiet helps to connect us with God and others. The spiritual value of silence has been known for centuries. Look no further than
Jesus who, usually after a public teaching or miracle among crowds of people, would retreat alone to the mountain to pray (Luke 6:12; Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46). Clearly, Jesus needed some quiet time. And if Jesus needed some quiet time, then we definitely need time in silence.
Psychological research points to this same reality for us. A group of psychologists formed a few years ago to study the basic question – what works in psychotherapy? They published a series of important articles that linked specific relational factors and technical interventions to short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes of positive change. Silence produced immediate, in session, evidence-based change. We see this effect in our clinical practice all the time.
Silence helps our patients to regulate their emotions, calm their body, and process difficult thoughts. The Examen is silence with an intentional Catholic spirituality based in the life and works of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Saint Ignatius developed the Examen over 500 years ago. The spiritual practice includes five simple steps that can be completed in as quickly as 5 minutes or extended to 15-20 minutes. The spiritual practice fosters reflection on one’s day, drawing insight about blessings and challenges, and developing resolve to live better tomorrow. The five steps are:
1. Place yourself in God’s presence
2. Give thanks for the moments and experiences of today
3. Review the experiences of the day and reflect on what went well and not-so-well, while
remaining mindful that God is present in all these moments.
4. Reflect on your shortcomings. Consider how to improve for the future.
5. Plan for the next day with a specific resolution to live better.
Recent psychological research has begun to provide scientific support for the use of the Examen. Through a series of studies over the past few years, I (Dr. Plante) have found that regular practice of the Examen over a few weeks has been linked to improved levels of life satisfaction and meaning in life, decreased stress, depression, anxiety, and substance craving. What accounts for such findings? A strict secular interpretation would conclude that the simply practice of a constructive activity is generally good for mental health. Something can be said for the meditative nature of the Examen. There is quite a bit of social science about the psychological and physical health benefits of meditation. Those inclined to secular humanism may look at the Examen steps and point to step 2 – giving thanks – and conclude that the act of expressing gratitude is the key mental health mechanism to the spiritual practice. And to be fair, they would not be entirely wrong. Gratitude is a hot emotion right now in psychology. Cynics, critics, and skeptics may chalk up any purported benefits to a placebo effect or other delusions associated with religion and spirituality.
Thus, it is important to examine the effects of the Examen from a Catholic faith perspective. The spiritual practice is a form of prayer and as such, prayer is meant to connect us with God in a sacred relationship. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2565): “prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit.” Relationships of any kind, including our relationship with God, is built over time. Daily habit. Daily connection. Daily discussion. Completing the Examen every day over a prolonged period could contribute to deepening the relationship with God just like if you called a friend to talk for 15 minutes every day. The cumulative effect of the daily talks is a deeper, more full and intimate relationship. There is psychological research about one’s relationship with God, which generally points to positive mental health outcomes such as increased meaning in life and hope. Going back to the question – why is the Examen helpful to mental health? A good answer right now is because the Examen fosters relationship with God.
The Examen encourages silent self-reflection; giving thanks; identification of shortcomings; resolution to live a better life immediately – all within a relationship with God. Taken together – all of that is good. Thus, faith and science have clearly converged to point to the same truth – taking time to quietly reflect on our lives with God is good for our spirit and mind.
The noise and division of the world do not seem to be going away. Like Saint Ignatius, we may have our own battle scars and wounds that need healing. Yet, we have the free will and infinite dignity to retreat every day for a few minutes to be with God. In doing so, we may discover how we can live with more clarity in relationship with God and with more compassion for others.
About the Authors
Anthony Isacco, PhD is program director, professor, and head of clinical research in the new
Catholic faith-integrated MS in Clinical Psychology program at Saint Mary’s University of
Minnesota.
Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., ABPP is the Augustin Cardinal Bea, S.J. University Professor,
professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and directs the Applied Spirituality Institute.
He is an emeritus adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford
University School of Medicine.
