Recently I had a trip that was awfully upset by noises made by neighbors and activities on the street. I should have known better and not making the trip at all. But sometimes one does stupid things.

Out of curiosity I bought ear plugs and decided to do a trip with using them. My experience is neither bad or good. In fact it does take away stress for possible occurring unexpected noises but on the other hand it causes a silence that is in fact quite unpleasant.

Who of you folks are using earplugs? Just curious, that’s all.

I have used the builders earphones, which block out EVERYTHING. The silence is kinda eerie.

It didn't really affect the trip that much. I only did it once.

I once did and they felt strange in my ears. Would not try that again to be honest.

All the time. It may feel strange first, but once you get used to them, they are great. Good for meditation. Or blocking annoying ppl. Advise: use the really soft ones, there are quality differences. The rainbow coloured ones are my favorite:

To those who gave a response, thank you.

In the picture you can see the ones I use. Very effective but I wish I could do it without them. Since my new neighbours and their crazy little shouting kid .....

Anyone else using earplugs? If so, what are your experiences?

I can understand the silence being unpleasant.

While on psychedelic compounds I like to have all my senses accessible...

I've used music or isochronic tones/binaural beats before, but never ear plugs, this can go either way, it's definantly more tolerable than silence. At times music can pair quite well with closed-eye imagery, other times it's not tolerable, but it is an option.

I can remember some chatter a few years back regarding sensory deprivation and psychedelics, though I never really looked into this topic in depth...for some reason earplugs reminded me of this...possibly you can glean something useful from reviewing others experiences involving sensory deprivation and psychedelics.

perhaps you could consume psychedelics late at night, when your neighbors will be sleeping.

-eg

I have a general opinion of earplugs as I use them on a daily basis in my work.
As has been said, the very soft, cheap, disposable ones are best, the hard rubber "vacuum" ones are the worst.
All of them will cause me, and probably you, discomfort eventually, unless you want to invest in expensive moulded ear-piece type ones that can be bought from specialist shops and some opticians.
I find ear defenders/"cans" are more comfortable and a better choice than earplugs. The more expensive ones (e.g. 3M peltor optime III) are still not that expensive, are quite comfortable, durable and non-intrusive. You can also take them off and put them on as many times as you like without discomfort or inconvenience.

i share the OP's opinion and preference regarding external sounds and noises being distracting - in fact, just the anticipation of them ahead of time can color the trip and add to some anxiety...

earplugs - far too isolating for me, but since i use music every time i trip, i just use some wireless headphones or earbuds. this has been one of my favorite parts of the ritual: getting the music ready, putting on the headphones, stating my intention and then...

off we go....

if you use music, get some earbuds and buy the aftermarket sound-isolating tips you can put on in place of the ones that come with. or, if you don't mind some headphones, Beats Studio Wireless Pros are amazing, comfy and the sound quality is quite good. not "audiophile" but for these journeys they have been, at least for me, essential.

enjoy

Get custom made ear molds from an audiologist or buy the DIY kits from ebay, they will block out 90% more than that foam nonsense! Top that off with quality construction earmuffs over the top and you have over a -100dB reduction... Pure Silence!