Hitbodedut or hisbodedus (Hebrew: הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת, lit. "seclusion, solitariness, solitude"; Tiberian: hīṯbōḏăḏūṯ [hiθboːðaˈðuːuθ], Ashkenazi: hīsboydedēs/hīsboydedūs or hīsbōdedūs, Sephardi: hitbōdedūt) refers to practices of self-secluded Jewish meditation. The term was popularized by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) to refer to an unstructured, spontaneous, and individualized form of prayer and meditation through which one would establish a close, personal relationship with God and ultimately see the Divinity inherent in all being.

According to some scholars, within the school of ecstatic Kabbalah, hitbodedut should be  understood as "concentrated thought as part of a clearly defined mystical technique". This is demonstrated in the teachings of Kabbalists such as Abraham Aboulafia, Isaac of Acre, Moses Cordovero, Elazar Azkiri, Eliyahu De Vidas, and Hayyim Vital, also suggesting that this practice may have influenced later Jewish mystics, including Hasidic masters.

Later research focused on hitbodedut as practiced in the Breslov tradition, distinguishing it from earlier mystics' hitbodedut, which often denotes mental concentration. Instead, Breslov hitbodedut is understood as either its literal meaning—physical self-seclusion—or as candid conversation with God. In some instances, Rabbi Nachman emphasizes that seclusion and frank talks with God are intended to bring about potent mystical experiences, which is viewed as the ideal culmination of Breslov hitbodedut. It is believed that this tradition has been adapted to modern spiritual needs, shifting from solitary communication with God to a focus on personal well-being, emotional healing, and self-exploration.

Recent research challenges earlier scholars and the distinction between hitbodedut in ecstatic Kabbalah, Breslov hitbodedut, and other hitbodedut teachings. Instead it suggests that the earliest hitbodedut guide was written by Abraham son of Moses Maimonides (1186–1237), leader of the Pietists of Egypt, proposing that hitbodedut should be understood as “a meditative practice comprising three key elements—withdrawal from physical stimuli, directing awareness toward the Divine, and applying focused concentration to cleave to God and potentially attain divine inspiration.” It is suggested that hitbodedut was transmitted to the 13th century Kabbalists of Acre, the 16th-century Kabbalists of Safed, and eventually to later 18th-century Kabbalists such as Moses Hayyim Luzato, as well as Hasidic masters such as Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. The inclusion of Breslov hitbodedut under this definition is said to be based on a rare citation of Rabbi Nachman’s own words on hitbodedut at the end of Likutei Moharan 52, which does not include conversing with God.

Among the earliest documented evidence to the use of hitbodedut as a spiritual practice can be found in the teachings of the Jewish pietistic movement in Egypt. In these teachings, depending on the context, hitbodedut can mean one of three things: "either spiritual retreat to a secluded place... the meditational technique practiced during such a retreat... the psychological state resulting therefrom, i.e. oblivion to the sensual world."

In his most important work, Kitab Kifayat al-Abidin (The Guide for Serving God), Abraham Maimonides suggests a special spiritual path for the Hasid (pious), the one who wishes to have a closer, more intimate worship of God. The chapter in the Kifayat on Hitbodedut begins by identifying it as a practice used by the prophets and the pious, stating that “Hitbodedut is an ideal path to intimacy with God. It is the way of the greatest Hasidim, and through it, the prophets achieved Encounter with God.” He then goes to describe the nature of the practice, and provides a typology of Hitbodedut, distinguishing between “outward” and “inward” practices:

“There is outward Hitbodedut, and there is inward Hitbodedut. The purpose of outward Hitbodedut is to realize inward Hitbodedut, which is the highest rung in the ladder toward Encounter, and is [a degree of] Encounter itself. Inward Hitbodedut is the complete focus of the heart… [This requires one] to empty the heart and mind of all besides God and to fill and occupy them with Him.”

It is suggested there are two forms of Hitbodedut, ‘outward’, which involves physical seclusion to eliminate distractions and quiet the senses, and ‘inward’, which involves two key elements: directing one's awareness ("heart and mind") away from worldly concerns ("all besides God") and focusing completely on God ("fill and occupy them with Him"). The physical aspect, seclusion, serves as means for the inner practice, which seeks to deepen Devekut (attachment to God) until the self merges with the Divine, ultimately leading to an encounter with God. Maimoni also provides practical instructions for Hitbodedut: