Questions concerning the formation of the optical properties of dense gaseous and plasma media in relation to the specific features of radiant energy transfer are considered. The integral equations describing the radiation trapping are investigated as a new class of generalized wave equations of Schrödinger type. Starting from the methods of quantum mechanics, original analytical and numerical approaches are suggested for solving problems of the radiative kinetics of both spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous absorbing media containing dispersed particles. In terms of the quasi-classical approximation, two classes of reference problems for determination of phase factors are formulated. Solutions for a number of model problems are presented that demonstrate the efficiency of the methods developed.