哈佛教授 Robert Putnam 在 2000 年出版《Bowling Alone》时，智能手机还不存在；当下美国成年人看着手机的中位时间已达每天 6 小时。文章把这种从社群转向屏幕的变化，和由此加剧的孤独、注意力下降、社会极化及抑郁、焦虑、难以集中等心理健康问题联系起来，并指出关于孤独如何改变哀伤方式的研究仍然不足。
2019 年一项研究估计，美国超过三分之一的成年人在任何时点都在为过去 3 年内的一次死亡经历哀悼，其中 17% 感到与亲友疏离。作者以自身经历说明，很多人只收到短信式安慰，反而让拒绝感与被抛弃感更强；相比之下，陌生人的陪伴、读书和写通讯都无法替代真正的社区支持。
为应对这种缺口，哀伤静修营正在扩张：Miraval 早在 2005 年就在 Tucson 创办此类项目，如今已在 Massachusetts 到 Mexico 等地普及，通常结合 yoga、meditation、massage、马术治疗、心理咨询和灵性服务。价格差异很大：带住宿的项目平均约每晚 $1,000；The Ground 的房间从 $556/晚起，Omega 两晚无住宿项目从每人 $440 起，Miraval 的 Grief & Loss 约每人每晚 $698 起，而 Behold、Esalen、Golden Willow、Intensive Therapy Retreats 与 Rancho La Puerta 等项目则从 $375 到 $5,250 不等，显示这种疗愈既专业化也高度排他。
When Harvard professor Robert Putnam published Bowling Alone in 2000, smartphones did not exist; today the median time American adults spend looking at smartphones is six hours per day. The article links this shift from community to screens to loneliness, reduced attention, social polarization, and growing mental-health harms such as depression, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating, while noting that how loneliness changes grief remains underexplored.
A 2019 study estimated that more than one-third of U.S. adults are grieving a death that occurred within the prior three years at any given time, and 17% feel isolated from family and friends because of it. The writer’s own losses show how brief digital condolences can intensify rejection and abandonment, whereas strangers, reading, and writing helped but did not replace genuine community support.
Grief retreats are growing as a response: Miraval began one in Tucson in 2005 and now offers Grief & Loss programs year-round in Arizona, Texas, and Massachusetts, while other resorts stretch from Massachusetts to Mexico. Prices range widely, from $375 for a three-day workshop to about $1,000 per night with lodging, with examples including The Ground at $556 per night, Omega from $440 for two-night retreats without accommodation, Miraval from $698 per person per night, and premium programs up to $5,250 for seven days, showing both therapeutic ambition and high access barriers.