When tripping with others, you can either socialize or immerse yourself in silence, but which is actually better? Do you emphasize speaking your mind or is reflection more important? Is speaking always silver and silence gold? Let’s talk about it in detail in this blog!
How talking can affect your psychedelic experience
Tripping in a group can be great. But each participant may experience the trip differently, and the need to communicate may also differ. Imagine you are with a group of close friends in a room where you have created a nice atmosphere. You agreed not to leave phones out. There is cozy lighting so the setting is perfect.
When the trip begins everything seems magical, you can feel the energy of the earth, you feel one with everything and everyone. But then it happens. One of your friends starts talking, let’s call him Sander. He just won’t stop chattering. Comments like, “The trees talk to me and we are all stardust in a living universe,” your friend is deep in the trip and telling you everything that comes to mind.
You do laugh with him, but you are in your own trip. You feel something special come to mind, a deep emotion or memory. You can feel it, but as soon as it gets closer, your process is disrupted by yet another comment from Sander. Finally, you just decide to go outside and you sit down in the grass. The silence feels like a warm blanket. This is where you truly come to yourself, and the silence fuels the experience. There is only presence.
Is talking while tripping always bad, is silence better? There is a tension between speaking and just being quiet during a trip. But it’s worth discovering what you need at what time.
Silence in therapeutic and ritual trips: why it is so important
Within the culture of natural peoples, silence during a psychedelic ceremony is considered sacred. Whatever drug is used (psilocybin, ayahuasca, peyote), sound is seen as something that is deployed very consciously. Think drumming, chanting or chants. There is no room for informal conversations. Such a ceremony is all about listening. Not to others, but to the drug (the trip drug).
Silence is also emphasized in a therapeutic setting, where psychedelics are used as therapy. Usually there are no rigid guidelines, but there is little talk. You are encouraged to introspect. In an article by McLean Hospital explains how therapy supported by psychedelics works and what substances can be used for this purpose: Exploring Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Hope, Hype, and Healing.
So is talking while tripping always bad? Again, that is not the case. But it does matter in what way and when you do it. It is good to realize that talking can help ground you when you become overwhelmed. But when you go all out in talking, it can block deeper insights.
Why talking during a trip sometimes feels unnatural
But it may be the reason that speaking, when you are tripping, can feel uncomfortable, awkward and even unnecessary. However, the reverse can also happen. It seems like you just can’t stop babbling, you just keep talking, philosophizing, analyzing and discussing. These words can create a barrier between you and what you are experiencing.
Because what happens when you are talking? Speaking draws you outward, into an interaction with others. Silence does the opposite: it brings you inward. It makes you feel and face the naked truth. That can be difficult, but it is also the power of the trip. Silence helps you experience the moment to its deepest forms. So when you look at what’s better while tripping, silence or talking, it comes down to whether you really want the depth.
Group travel and language
When tripping with a group, it is good to be clear about how you want to communicate as a group. Because that communication takes place is logical. But you don’t always need words for that. Set some rules in advance so that everyone feels safe. Does everyone want it to stay quiet? Is it okay to ask if someone is doing well?
You can use agreements gestures. Nodding your head, putting a hand on your heart, a thumbs up. These are all quiet ways to let you know you are doing well. You can also agree on a gesture to let them know you need help. This way you can still communicate with each other without breaking the silence.
When talk is better than silence
It is sometimes quite difficult to assess when it is better to talk or when silence is needed. But know that sometimes words do the trick. You may indicate that you need help, that you are scared or want to be with someone for a while. These kinds of words can be healing.
But there are also times when silence is magical, when the ego dissolves, your sense of self disappears. Silence even then is essential. Then you get in touch with what is going on deep inside: perhaps releasing wounds or when you get insights into emotions or cosmic visions. Those who then choose words can tear themselves rudely out of the experience. It is then like trying to explain a dream while still in the middle of it.
If you start talking too soon, the experience will elude you. And that’s a shame. Let that silence last for a while, go with the flow, experience, without falling back on words. They are not necessary; experience speaks to you. Later you will find the words.
Scientific foundation: psilocybin and language
Research by Carhart-Harris et al. (2017), affiliated with Imperial College London, found that psilocybin reduces activity in the Default Mode Network – a brain region involved in self-reflection and language processing. This may explain why speech during a trip often feels unnatural or incoherent.
A more recent animal study by Zhang et al. (2025), published in Nature Translational Psychiatry, shows that psilocybin disrupts brain communication in frontal areas. These areas play a role in speech and higher cognitive functions. Although conducted on rats, it provides valuable insights into the influence of psychedelics on language.
Sources:
Carhart-Harris et al. (2017), Frontiers in Neuroscience. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5625021/
Zhang et al. (2025), Nature Translational Psychiatry. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-025-03308-4
Please note that this blog is intended as information only and not medical advice. The use of psychedelics carries risks. Provide a safe setting and a sober tripsitter, and never use in conjunction with medications or health problems.
Psilocybin is the mind-altering substance in magic mushrooms. If you’re curious about what’s available, check out our shop.
