Spiritual formation and ‘Attention Economy’: Exploring facilitators' awareness and approaches during Retreats and Recollections

Abstract

This study examines the intersection of the 'attention economy' and the religious/spiritual formation processes within retreats and recollections, focusing on facilitators' perspectives and practices. Employing an exploratory approach, the research incorporates focused-group discussion with select facilitators to analyze their awareness, roles, views, and methods for addressing attention-related challenges in face-to-face retreats. The findings highlight facilitators' acute awareness of attention challenges and their proactive efforts to enhance student experiences by minimizing distractions, incorporating reflective activities, and fostering an engaging environment. The study underscores that effective attention management is pivotal for deepening spiritual engagement. It also identifies the need for innovative pedagogical approaches tailored to contemporary cognitive demands. Facilitators believe adaptive strategies significantly improve attentional focus and enrich spiritual practices during retreats. The research calls for further exploration of student perspectives and interdisciplinary collaboration to deepen understanding of attention management in spiritual contexts. Recommendations include continuous professional development for facilitators and using larger, probabilistic samples to enhance the findings' generalizability. Addressing the challenges posed by the ‘attention economy’ has the potential to profoundly impact the holistic development of participants in spiritual formation programs.