In the process of researching the healing benefits of solitude I have began to read Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton.  So far the book is...interesting.  Merton is a very metaphorical writer but I can appreciate that.  He is writing about how one can grow spiritually by secluding themselves from others and disregarding the ideas of conformity.  He refers to the desert as a metaphor for having the ultimate relationship with God.  In the desert there is a lack of man made creations, people, distractions, etc.  Anyone there is detached from society and is basically alone with his Creator.
Merton writes, "The desert was created simply to be itself, bot to be transformed by men into something else...The desert is therefore the logical dwelling place for the man who seeks to be nothing but himself - that is to say, a creature solitary and poor and dependent upon no one but God with no great project standing between himself and his creator." (pg 5 Thoughts in Solitude)