The term retreat has several related meanings, all of which have in common the notion of safety or temporarily removing oneself from one's usual environment. A retreat can be taken for reasons related to spirituality, stress, health, lifestyle, or social or ecological concerns. Increasingly, organizations hold retreats to focus board and staff members on key issues such as strategic planning, enhancing communication and collaboration, problem-solving and creative thinking. Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... In medical terms, stress is a physical or psychological stimulus that can produce mental or physiological reactions that may lead to illness. ...

A retreat can either be a time of solitude or a community experience. Some retreats are held in silence, and on others there may be a great deal of conversation, depending on the understanding and accepted practices of the host facility and/or the participant(s). Retreats are often conducted at rural or remote locations, either privately, or at a retreat centre such as a monastery. For other uses, see Solitude (disambiguation). ... A community usually refers to a sociological group in a large place or collections of plant or animal organisms sharing an environment. ... Silence is a relative or total lack of sound. ... Monastery of St. ...

Spiritual retreats allow time for reflection, prayer, or meditation. They are considered essential in Buddhism[1], and are also popular in many Christian churches, including evangelical Protestantism, Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism. The Thinker by Auguste Rodin: An artists impression of Homo sapiens Human self-reflection is the basis of philosophy and is present from the earliest historical records. ... Mary Magdalene in prayer. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion and a philosophy. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a broad collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions which are found among conservative Protestant Christians. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

Further reading

• Merianne Liteman, Sheila Campbell, Jeffrey Liteman, Retreats that Work: Everything You Need to Know About Planning and Leading Great Offsites, Expanded Edition, ISBN 0-7879-8275-X
• Stafford Whiteaker, The Good Retreat Guide, ISBN 1-84413-228-5