This is a short blog that will analyze and clarify St. Ignatius’ concept and semantics regarding desolation and consolation and their use in discernment of spirits and election or choice. This is a general blog for any interested reader as well as a synopsis for those in AIHCP’s Christian Counseling or Spiritual Direction courses, as well as those enrolled in Ignatian Spirituality.
Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification.
Introduction
For those in the Spiritual Direction Program, consolation and desolation are universal Christian terms but primarily stemming from the Catholic tradition. So for those who are Protestant or from non-denominational faith traditions, do not feel intimidated. These concepts can be applied and should be applied in spiritual direction regardless of Christian denomination. None of these concepts deal with any dogmatic dispute between denominations of Christianity and can be universally applied to Catholic/Orthodox and Protestant traditions. These concepts are extremely helpful in guiding souls as well as helping alleviate spiritual times of suffering.
I would like to point out that the terms desolation as well as consolation can be utilized more generic in sense regarding mood of the soul. St Ignatius points out that in consolation, the soul’s interior is aroused with spiritual sweetness from the Creator and inclined to the will of God via this good spirit. In contrast, he states that desolation is a time of inner turmoil and restlessness of the soul when it is inclined away from God and influenced by a false spirit.
This may seem confusing when we hear the term consolation and desolation its pure emotional semantic meaning. In cases of other mystics, such as St Teresa of Avila, consolations are times when the soul feels God’s presence and desolations are when the soul does not feel God’s presence. I myself in a video reference the term in this more simple format. Ignatius would refer to desolation in this sense as difficult consolation because the soul is still inclined towards God and pushing forward while in Ignatius’ concept of true desolation, the soul is falling away from God, albeit not necessarily in a state of sin but one of spiritual apathy. St Teresa of Avila refers to simple desolation as more spiritual aridity, while Ignatius seems to refer to it more as spiritual apathy. These are big differences but I wanted to notate this when reading the Ignatian texts. Again for Avila, it is a simple emotional state, for Ignatius it is more than just mood but also a disposition of the soul that comes and goes in different phases and periods of times. So there is a distinction between Avila and Ignatius between an emotional state and a spiritual state in regards to the word. Again, desolation is not in itself sinful but it can lead to sin and bad habits because it is guided by false spirits and interior dispositions.
What are Consolations and Desolations?
Consolation
A consolation can be considered an emotional state of intense union with God but also a spiritual state of union with God that is in sync with God’s will and laws. According to Thibodeaux, it can be dramatic as well as placid in nature (2020). In a dramatic state, the soul experiences a moment with God that is overwhelming and exciting to the soul and the body’s senses. It is uplifting and warm. One in a state of placid consolation is not a in a current state of intense excitement but a consistent balance. In comparison, consider dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine as a neurotransmitter produces an intense edge, while serotonin as a neurotransmitter produces stability of mood. I think this best explains this balance between dramatic and placid consolation.
It is important to remember that consolation itself is gift. It cannot be earned by praying a certain way or meditating but is a gift from God. He grants it to whoever He desires. We should then be grateful and thankful to God when He chooses to gift the soul with more intense presences. St Teresa of Avila expresses different states of reward in prayer, namely the Prayer of the Quiet when God reveals Himself without effort on the part of the person, as well as Prayer of the Union, when the soul also receives an unexpected and unearned gift of a deep unitive gift with the Divine. These are all greater examples of consolations. Ignatius also speaks of unexpected and memorable spiritual experiences and refers to them as Consolations without Previous Cause (Thibodeaux, M., 2020). This is similar to extraordinary spiritual experiences that the soul is granted by God.
Strangely enough, even during consolation, the soul can feel what St Teresa of Avila would refer to aridity. St. Ignatius does not refer to this state of aridity as a desolation but a Difficult Consolation (Thibodeaux, M., 2020). In this, Ignatius points out that the soul is still directed toward God and is not facing a desolation that puts the soul out of sync with God. Instead, while still experiencing aridity, the soul still is orientated toward God.
Desolation
In contrast, desolations, according to St. Ignatius, are darker moments of the soul’s spiritual phases. It is time associated with anxiety, depression, and inclination towards false spirits and bad habits. The soul is not in sync with God. These false spirits can but are not necessarily even demonic in nature but more natural inclinations of humanity’s fallen nature. Energies or inclinations towards the world, or particular vices that bring the soul downward away from God towards other sources of “completeness”. This state does not designate sin in itself but can lead to sinful situations and sinful aspirations.
Like consolations, the desolation can be dramatic or placid in nature. They can be an intense anxiety or merely a tiresome and gradual decay of the soul’s spiritual life with God. In other cases, there can be False Consolations, where the soul feels it is following God’s calling but in reality is fulfilling one’s own desires and needs (Thibodeaux, M., 2020).
The Spiritual Life: A Spiritual Rollercoaster
Spiritual life is filled with waves of consolation and desolation, as well as emotional “consolation” and “desolation”. Life happens and things can occur that make us very happy or very sad or angry. These life events can steer us closer or away from God through certain phases of life. The loss of a child, or a parent, or any loved one can lead some individuals into a desolation against God which includes anger and resentment. Likewise, individuals can go through numerous loses and pains in life, but still remain in sync with God, but feel truly empty and sad over such losses. These are natural bio-rhythms. Like the body, the soul also goes through natural ups and downs. What is important is to orientate one’s self to never lose sight of God even in the rough times, even in times we do not feel His presence.
It is also crucial to understand the psychological components of desolation as well as consolation. Psychotherapy tends to separate soul care and mental health but both are uniquely tied together. This does not mean clinical depression should only receive spiritual advice but it does mean within all melancholy, there is also a saddening of the soul. States of depression can distort thinking and value of self as well as one’s relationship with God. Desolation can make one doubt one’s love from God, as well, as to hate oneself for past sins and feel a lack of forgiveness. These deeper states of desolation leave the soul out of sync with the Divine and can lead it to other maladaptive practices to find solutions from the pain. So, spiritual desolation itself can be a dark time, but it is even darker when tied to mental health issues. Spiritual Directors, while understanding the union between soul and mind, but also understand the need to refer individuals for psychological help when signs and symptoms of clinical depression emerge.
Guiding others through Spiritual States
Thibodeaux discusses multiple applications of spiritual direction through different states of consolation and desolation.
In consolation, he lists numerous points but importantly, one needs to remember to encourage humility and thankfulness in these states, but also to prepare one for future desolation. In times of consolation, he recommends that individuals journal the good times so when tougher times arrive, they can fall back on these emotions and feelings as a spiritual anchor. He also points out that it is during these times that one has the most clear head to make elections or decisions (2022). Ignatius believed during consolation, the soul is able to understand God most and be able to make decisions. Decision making is difficult enough. Life decisions are not easy mathematical equations but require our whole being partaking in it. When one’s conscious and subconscious –mind and soul–find God’s presence and can hear His voice, then elections can be made. However, like any dopamine affect, it is important to reflect also on these decisions which are indeed well-founded, but once a more stable mood is restored, one can reflect on the extraordinary insight God has given. This is why Ignatius, while dictating the validity of election in this state, does think it is wise for immediate action on it until it is reflected upon. Ignatius teaches that discernment also involves feeling the spirits of the movement. In consolation, these are genuine, but one must be certain of the genuine experience. This is especially true if one experiences an extraordinary spiritual state, as as Ignatius would refer “Consolation Without Previous Cause”. In this state, the soul, as well as the body feeling in the intake of dopamine and happiness, should wait a short period to stabilize mood wise. In this way, the intellect can share in the evaluation of the message before acting in haste (Thibodeaux, M., 2022). Spiritual Director help souls recognize true consolation over false consolation and also help souls discern the messages and movements of the soul during them. They help the soul understand when it is good to make a choice or election when sound mind exists that correlates with the valid message of a consolation.
In regards to desolation, it is a time for even more renewed prayer and to remind the directee that acting on any impulses or changes during this time is dangerous. A soul in desolation, even in troubled consolation, should not act due to the variety of emotional blinders. Until the blinders are removed, the soul could be influenced to poor decisions. For instance, many depressed individuals turn to maladaptive coping or choices for a quick fix. They will try to feel good by merely making a move in life to alleviate the desolation. Spiritual Directors must utilize empathy, patience, and unconditional positive regard to these souls. They need to help them cognitively reframe false assumptions or low images of self that have influenced them via the false spirit. Psychology gives many tools to help people rethink about themselves. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy teaches individuals that bad thoughts create bad self image and behaviors associated with those thoughts. It is important to reframe these thoughts or images and help the directee re-evaluate in a different light.
Another important thing to consider in desolation is the movement of the enemy within the soul. A soul that begins to change itself will be met with loud noise and anger from the enemy. Those looking to re-orientate themselves will face stiff resistance that can produce anxiety and depression. It is not only a spiritual battle, but also a psychological rewiring of neuropathways that are tied to bad habits of the past. Likewise, the soul who is muddied and stuck in desolation quietly acquiring bad habits of spiritual sloth, or any other vice, will form habits but the approach of the enemy will be far more quiet and less disturbing. Only till the soul pulls away, will the enemy become loud again with persistence in pushing bad habit and vice.
It is of no wonder then that Ignatius emphasizes the danger of making an election or drastic decision in this state of being. Only until balance or equilibrium is restored with God can the soul regain composure to make healthy and good decisions that are aligned with God. Spiritual Directors who work with souls in deep and acute desolation need to help the soul again find balance and then exhibit extreme patience with the individual as he or she again looks to hear God and answer Him.
Desolation is obviously a natural part of life. It can be caused by life itself and the sorrows of this world. It can be deep and disorientating but it does not necessarily mean the soul needs to lose sight of God. Those in desolation, or even simple aridity, are called even more so to daily prayer, even if there is no warmth or sense of happiness. Eventually, the soul will come out of desolation, but again, those with psychological issues, with also require professional mental health providers to help them.
Why would God permit this? First, it is the natural state of humanity. In regards to abandonment, Christ Himself felt alone or desolate, albeit, never out of align or not in sync with God, since He is God incarnate, but this does not mean He did not sense or feel within His human nature, the fear, anxiety and angst of life. In the Garden, He wept blood, and on the cross, He felt forsaken. So, whether in desolation, aridity, or troubled consolation, the emotions and feelings associated with it are part of the natural world. Jesus teaches us how to fight them.
God also uses these moments as teaching moments to train the soul on its dependence on God. St. Ignatius points out that the soul can become proudful of its own accomplishments in false consolations, or may feel consolations of intense proportion are earned or deserved. A soul that continues to fight, sees its own humility and dependence upon God can learn much through desolation and aridity.
Conclusion
I hope this clarifies some of the semantics regarding desolation and consolation that we hear in spiritual states of life. Obviously this is more so focusing on St. Ignatius and the Thibodeaux text in understanding consolation and desolations in Spiritual Direction and how to guide souls through these states to make better choices.
Please also review AIHCP’s Spiritual Direction Program as well as its Christian Counseling Program
Reference
Thibodeaux, M, SJ. (2022). Ignatian Discernment of Spirits for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Care: Going Deeper. Loyola Press.
Additional AIHCP Blogs
Vocation and Discernment: Access here
Desolation and Affliction. Access here
Additional Resources
Peoples, I. (2022). “Jesuit 101: Consolation and Desolation”. The Jesuit Post. Access here
“Consolation and Desolation”. Ignatian Discernment Institute. Access here
“Discernment: Consolation and Desolation”. Loyola Press. Access here