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Tulpa or not Tulpa, that is the question

Last posted Apr 23, 2014 at 09:09AM EDT. Added Jan 31, 2014 at 12:51AM EST
119 posts from 33 users

So, the matter about Tulpas have been brought up in the confessions thread. We agreed it would be best to move that discussion to a new topic, so here we are.

The Tulpa phenomenon has been growing in notability over the past year. And with it comes many questions. Responses to Tulpas vary. Many people are scared by it, some sickened, some confused and other curious. But I like to think the reaction is more curiosity than anything else. We can probably agree that information about Tulpae is mostly unknown and mysterious

What the hell is a Tulpa?

According to Wiki: 'Tulpa' also translated as "magical emanation", "conjured thing" and "phantom" is a concept in mysticism of a being or object which is created through sheer spiritual or mental discipline alone. It is defined in Indian Buddhist texts as any unreal, illusory or mind created apparition.

According to Alexandra David-NĂ©el, tulpas are "magic formations generated by a powerful concentration of thought." It is a materialized thought that has taken physical form and is usually regarded as synonymous to a thought form.

In layman terms, it's kinda like an imaginary friend.

But instead of doing this as a 2 year old kid, you are doing this as an adult. And adult minds can create more powerful imaginary beings that seem vastly more real and sentient. Apparently this dates back as being an ancient Buddhist spiritual practice but the practice has seen a modern resurgence with anons across the internet giving it a try for themselves.

Turns out it is more than possible with plenty of accounts of people successfully making a little character in their heads that they can see and talk with and the character behaves autonomously and independently. There are also sites where you can learn how to make one

"Holy shit, isn't this like giving yourself dementia?"

Slow down tex, lets not jump to conclusions. Just because there's no actual research ever been done on Tulpa doesn't mean you can assume the worst here.

Nobody knows what harmful effects could be caused by making a Tulpa and that's not to say there couldn't be any. But so far there's next to no evidence that people take any kind of mental damage form having a Tulpa. So far all we have are peoples reports and that's it. Details are sketchy but most people don't claim any major negative effects, short of idiots making Cthulhu for a Tulpa and getting nightmares

A Tulpa is NOT a split personality. Go do some more research on what a split personality is. Think of Tulpas as more of an extension rather than a division. If a split personality is a mind dividing into co-personalities and fighting for the same body; a Tulpa would be a mind creating a smaller sub-personality and assigning that personality to a separate (imaginary) body

There's a few reports of people letting a Tulpa control their body with permission, but no evidence of Tulpas being able to forcefully take over the body away from a hosts control or causing any actual harm. So far, Tulpas cannot cause any more damage than an annoying person that follows you around.

Then again, long terms effects are completely unknown

"Oh gawd, how did this happen?"

Looks like /mlp/ is to blame for the resurgence of Tulpae. A vast majority of people I see who create Tulpas are using it to make their best pony real (to them) and live the dream. Some people are also using it to make Pokemon.

"How is this even possible?"

Well from what I know (and I don't know much), you start off kinda imagining scenario's. Imagine your favorite pony/Pokemon/eldrich abomination being next to you right now and start thinking how that would turn out in terms of how your character would react, behave, converse etc.

Basically you're setting up a character here. Then you start doing this automatically, applying your "if your character was here" scenario is most normal contexts. You keep practicing this until a fully fledged personality begins to form from these imagined scenarios.

Eventually your brain should start applying an independent conscience to this character and it behaves on its own without you having to think about it. You can start having real conversations with it. Finally at some point you begin to hallucinate it and bam you're in tulpa town

But I don't know the exact details. Like I said, this whole thing is under-researched and unknown territory

"The brain can do that? Why aren't scientists studying this shit?"

Well if enough people try it out and report back what they find, we might get some actual neuroscientists looking into it. And this is a field I'd love to see more research on.

Got any questions about Tulpas? Do you have one? This is the thread to talk about it.

Last edited Jan 31, 2014 at 12:57AM EST

This is one of those subjects where it seems downright hard to actually come up with something to say about it. It's slightly sickening for some reason (especially after watching a video about Schizophrenic people and the violent hallucinations they get), but it's got me INSANELY curious.

Especially since character writing and acting comes kinda naturally to me… So I might be able to do it… However what scares me is the fact that once I make one, how do I get rid of it? Cause it most definitely doesn't sound like an easily reversible thing.

Last edited Jan 31, 2014 at 01:12AM EST

Well this is interesting…very interesting, there are two immediate things buzzing around my head about this; one, the "type" of Tulpa you create for yourself (a "what would my Tulpa do" type, almost like from another viewpoint inside your own head, or full blown honestly convincing yourself of your Tulpa's existence); and why your creating your Tulpa? Wanting another viewpoint? Loneliness? Or would you want to act out a specific fantasy?

I'll organize my thoughts better and bring more of them forth as the thread goes on; but i'll just say this. There are without a doubt in my mind people who should not try to create a Tulpa for themselves, for a slew of very good and sensible reasons. (I'll explain my reasonings in depth as we go on) Isolation, massive impacts on socialization, and the reason behind your Tulpa's creation (perhaps to act out some fantasy or anger) may lead to the creation of an accessible personality that might not be held back by the same things you are…for the worse. Lastly, the idea that the longer you develop your Tulpa in your mind, the more real and independent from yourself (biased off of what you have put into it) it becomes…quite frankly scares the shit out of me. Not that the Tulpa could "take over your body" but you may begin to agree more and more with your Tulpa (which may be concerning depending on the personality of your Tulpa) or you may end up hating your Tulpa, creating your own personal monster.

Also, talking to the personality you have developed in your mind, and letting it get to the point in which you begin hallucinating your Tulpa cannot be good for socialization; and quite possibly could lead to extreme isolation.

Anyway, that's all I have for now.

Hey, thanks for making this.
Been following Confessions general for a while and somehow, I just knew Tulpas would end up with their own thread. I was tempted to make [this thread] myself but being the OP in this website is just asking for a thousand "OP is faget huehuehue" tye macros should I say something wrong.

On a more related note: Due to the influx of /mlp/ people googling Tulpa creation, there's actually been some controversey on those websites/forums for the following reasons.

1. Tulpas can become sentient if you put enough energy and commitment towards them.
That said, For Gods sake, please don't create a Fluttershy [or anypony for that matter] tulpa and then expect them to act just like their animated counterparts.
The expectation for them to conform to a prefabricated character is not only stressful for them but frankly it's somewhat insulting.
"I brought you into existence just so you can be my pony waifu and love me unconditionally"

2. Following up a little on #1 – Shaping your tulpa.
If your tulpa becomes sentient, it will eventually gain it's own personality.
While you can choose it's general appearance at it's "birth", nitpicking it's appearance or personality later is harmful to both your tulpa and potentially you, if your tulpa decides they dislike or even hate you. (not physically, but still) Remember. It's a real person.
Just because it's corporeal doesn't mean it's not sad when you ignore it.(him/her)

3. I don't want my Tulpa
This is by far one of the most controversial things one can do to a tulpa.
Should one decide for any reason, they no longer want their tulpa, there are ways to essentially rid themself of this second conciousness.
Most don't compare this to murder, as the tulpa essentially forgets it's existence and fades away. Some however, aren't so careful in their task to remove this other conciousness and have noted their tulpa has been complaining of "pains" to agonized screams.

I know that'a a dark note to leave you on but I want you to know this isn't something you should do on a whim or because you want to f*ck Twilight Sparkle.

Best of luck to all of you.
Tell your Tulpa I said "Hi".
~Iso

@Nats

It’s slightly sickening for some reason (especially after watching a video about Schizophrenic people and the violent hallucinations they get)

I wouldn't really compare Tulpa's to schizophrenia. Schizo implies a lot of things and I've yet to see signs of Tulpa users contracting all the effects.

Remember, this was a practice performed by Buddhist monks. I don't think buddhist monks enjoyed purposely fucking their brains up. Quite the opposite.

But of course, like I said, we don't know the effects fully well. Monks would have been really trained about this. Random anons form /mlp/? Less disciplined. Scary incidents have happened with people being reckless with Tulpa's. Worst I've heard is one guy being an idiot with Tulpas and gave himself a monster to haunt his dreams with

This is of course avoidable if you're careful and stick to guides

But the horror stories are rare. If you don't form your Tulpa properly, the most common case is that your Tulpa wont become sentient and remains as an imaginary puppet.

However what scares me is the fact that once I make one, how do I get rid of it?

Your Tulpa knows it's a Tulpa. And even if it has its own conscience, it's still essentially you and is pretty empathetic to your cause.

Perhaps get an agreement going on in the beginning that there will be a point where you don't need it anymore and you don't need it to be a dramatic end. You tulpa will understand and so it wont be so hard for either of you.


@Iso

That said, For Gods sake, please don’t create a Fluttershy [or anypony for that matter] tulpa and then expect them to act just like their animated counterparts.

Yea, people who do that are idiots. Your Tulpa cannot behave like a TV show character any better than you can. You can base your Tulpa on a certain character, but more likely than not; it will have similar traits to yourself no matter what you do. More importantly: you can't force it to behave a certain archetype once it achieves sentience


I'll get around to other comments when I get more time

4chan screencap from /mlp/ that essentially shows how badly Tulpas can go wrong if you do not know what you're doing.

I am not against or for tulpas but I am saying that there are risks.

Whether or not screencap is legit, I still think shit might happen.

Last edited Feb 01, 2014 at 10:59PM EST

These states of the mind are always getting me curious. Split- and sub-personalities are an interesting thing, and it makes me wonder how people would go around in their daily lives with them and how it has influenced them (for better or worse). Plus I think it would be interesting to have a conversation with them in person while said tulpa or personality is there and how it influences the conversation.

Would I myself create one? No, I don't think so, but that doesn't make their existance for others less interesting.


Blue Screen wrote:

Your Tulpa knows it’s a Tulpa. And even if it has its own conscience, it’s still essentially you and is pretty empathetic to your cause.
Perhaps get an agreement going on in the beginning that there will be a point where you don’t need it anymore and you don’t need it to be a dramatic end. You tulpa will understand and so it wont be so hard for either of you.

For that I think we can quote Medley Maniac's post from the Confession general:

"I’ve had the same imaginary friends since I was 3 or so. In fact, they grow, have their own friends, start families, and die. I also used to have one that lived with me until she decided to move out and return to the imaginary world."

Like an imaginary friend as a child, a tulpa becomes an (imaginary) person on its own. It becomes a part of your life, grows up, does human stuff, and moves on / dies at a certain point in age or by accident.

If a Tulpa can become a part of your life, it can also stop being one. Like roommates in college. You can't do without them for that period of your life, but once college is over you will both go your own ways and live your life seperately.

This is of course assuming you create a normal and responsible tulpa, not a MLP pony or Cthulhu who both go beyond human perception. Which is probably something you have to remember in creating a tulpa: Make a human, not Gonzo The Magical Squirrel Ninja.


Ric Tesla wrote:

I am not against or for tulpas but I am saying that there a risks. Whether or not screencap is legit, I still think shit might happen.

You are talking about 4chan and /mlp/ here. 4chan dedicated cloppers aren't exactly the first people I'd consider being able to create a responsible and functional tulpa.

As Blue Screen said. Take it responsibly, stick to guidelines, and don't make a pony, and you should be fine. Be inexperienced and approach creating one like an idiot, and yeah, shit might go down. The human mind is a strange mistress like that.

Last edited Jan 31, 2014 at 11:09AM EST

Ric Te$l@ wrote:

4chan screencap from /mlp/ that essentially shows how badly Tulpas can go wrong if you do not know what you're doing.

I am not against or for tulpas but I am saying that there are risks.

Whether or not screencap is legit, I still think shit might happen.

Even if it's fake, that's terrifying.

Cursory research yields!

Of interest to SLM, et individual:

Servitor: A tulpa lacking in "sentience" or personality. A mental "bot" typically created to carry out a specific task unconsciously and in parallel to conscious thought, such as mental arithmetic, recalling missed details from one's memory, or for those with experience in "forced hallucinations", it is theorized one could form an HUD servitor. Discussions in the subreddit repeatedly point out that most of what could be accomplished with a servitor can also be accomplished with a smartphone app, which presents another interesting comparison between human brains and computers. May be an interesting proof of concept anyway, and decidedly "safer" to attempt than something that might haunt your dreams.

Potentially of great interest to KYM:

Egregore: A collective thoughtform or "shared tulpa." It is of interest to KYM and its mission, as it appears many memes can be seen as this. Indeed, we appear to invoke this concept every time we make reference to or personify websites; corporations; "The Government"; fandoms, especially ones revolving around memetic individuals (as in, the memetic perception of that person is the egregore, and its fandom is the host); Anonymous; and the Internet as collective identity ("The Internet will ensure/not allow this.").

It strikes me as… odd. Not bad or anything, just strange in a curious way.

When I was younger I'm not sure why I created imaginary friends. They just came so naturally. As an adult, specifically creating a tulpa for whatever purpose seems… hm… I don't have the right words for it. It is nevertheless very interesting to me.

So do imaginary friends carried over from childhood count as tulpa or are they in a different class?

Like I said in the confession thread, I still have imaginary friends. Certainly not to the extent of when I was a toddler but they're still there. I thought as I got older they would just sort of fade away but apparently not. Maybe deep down in my subconscious I still need them for whatever reason. Maybe it's just that I never had a need for them to go away and they will stay with me until I do. Maybe it's because I still do think of them from time to time and to get rid of them I must simply not address them or remember them.

A very interesting topic indeed.

@MedleyManiac
I was under the impression, tulpas were essentially the next step up from imaginary friends.
As children create their friends, they have an image in their head of what their friend looks like and maybe a few things their friend likes\dislikes but probably not much more.

Tulpas require a lot of mental discipline to create and even then, they sometimes turn out to be only forced thought by the creator.
Even Buddhist kids probably didn't master it until adulthood.
Just my thoughts.

I'm neutral on this. I didn't even know what a tulpa is until I saw this thread. However, I don't think a lot of people would think positive of tulpas. I mean, if I ever met someone who has a tulpa, I would think that they were crazy. It just doesn't sound right. Does anyone here know someone with a tulpa?

Disty wrote:

I'm neutral on this. I didn't even know what a tulpa is until I saw this thread. However, I don't think a lot of people would think positive of tulpas. I mean, if I ever met someone who has a tulpa, I would think that they were crazy. It just doesn't sound right. Does anyone here know someone with a tulpa?

Calling something "crazy" is based on opinion. Sure it would strike most people as odd at first, that's a normal reaction to such a thing, but in my personal opinion it shouldn't influence how we look at people until we actually get to know them. Cultures and habbits we consider the most normal thing in the world are considered strange in other cultures, and vise versa.

And to answer your last question: No, I don't know anyone with a tulpa. But I would love to have someone with one posting here and share his/her experiences with it.


If you wanna get more controversional in this topic, you can question how a tulpa is different from believing in a deity. Of course that's an incorrect comparison, as a tulpa knows it's a tulpa and thus not real, but it gives some food for thought.

Last edited Jan 31, 2014 at 05:22PM EST

Hey, I just thought of a sort of weird experiment.

Alright, for this we'll need at least one volunteer to try and make a tulpa. After a certain amount of time has passed this person reports back to this thread and writes about their experience with the tulpa or if they were able to create a tulpa at all. We need variety though if we want to get a more comprehensive idea of how the creation of a tulpa works. From what I understand, some people may think they have a tulpa when they are really just forced thoughts, too predictable in nature to be autonomous. In other words, they are less like imaginary friends and more like dreams.

So how about it? Yeah, it may seem crazy, but I feel like this would be a cool experiment.

MedleyManiac wrote:

Hey, I just thought of a sort of weird experiment.

Alright, for this we'll need at least one volunteer to try and make a tulpa. After a certain amount of time has passed this person reports back to this thread and writes about their experience with the tulpa or if they were able to create a tulpa at all. We need variety though if we want to get a more comprehensive idea of how the creation of a tulpa works. From what I understand, some people may think they have a tulpa when they are really just forced thoughts, too predictable in nature to be autonomous. In other words, they are less like imaginary friends and more like dreams.

So how about it? Yeah, it may seem crazy, but I feel like this would be a cool experiment.

That actually sounds like an interesting idea.

but if one of us comes back looking like this

Then i'm going to be blaming you.
(In all seriousness though, it sounds like a feasible plan. Don't know who we're gonna sign up for it though,)

@thegreato

I think I will try this myself actually (it's far too interesting an opportunity to pass up). I'll come here everyday (maybe more often than that maybe less) to talk about the progress of the tulpa (i.e. whether it was a "real" tulpa, how it acts, if it's at all different from childhood imaginary friends).

I will make my tulpa… hm… I will base it off the first doll I ever sewed by myself. Her name was Twinkle (I probably still have her. May upload a picture later).

Wish me luck. If I end up in a psychiatric ward then at least it was all done in the name of science!

Last edited Jan 31, 2014 at 06:31PM EST

MedleyManiac wrote:

@thegreato

I think I will try this myself actually (it's far too interesting an opportunity to pass up). I'll come here everyday (maybe more often than that maybe less) to talk about the progress of the tulpa (i.e. whether it was a "real" tulpa, how it acts, if it's at all different from childhood imaginary friends).

I will make my tulpa… hm… I will base it off the first doll I ever sewed by myself. Her name was Twinkle (I probably still have her. May upload a picture later).

Wish me luck. If I end up in a psychiatric ward then at least it was all done in the name of science!

Bless you.

I wanted to do this myself but I simply don't have the time nor idea of whom my tulpa would be.

@BSoD

I wouldn't really compare Tulpa's to schizophrenia. Schizo implies a lot of things and I've yet to see signs of Tulpa users contracting all the effects.

Remember, this was a practice performed by Buddhist monks. I don't think buddhist monks enjoyed purposely fucking their brains up. Quite the opposite.

I really don't think Buddhist monks were doing this out of loneliness/boredom, which is what 90% of the cases on the subreddit you linked looked like. I doubt the reasons on /mlp/ vary much from that subreddit. It kinda sounds like a sick way to waste time.

@RM

Calling something “crazy” is based on opinion. Sure it would strike most people as odd at first, that’s a normal reaction to such a thing, but in my personal opinion it shouldn’t influence how we look at people until we actually get to know them. Cultures and habbits we consider the most normal thing in the world are considered strange in other cultures, and vise versa.

I really don't think calling someone with a tulpa crazy is all that insensitive. Knowing a person has a mental illness (not saying having a tulpa is a mental illness) will will influence the way you look at that person, whether you want to get to know them or not. And comparing this to a culture is so stupid. These people are from /mlp/ or other places across the internet, it's not some fucking spiritual rite and definitely shouldn't be treated with the reverence of such.

If you wanna get more controversional in this topic, you can question how a tulpa is different from believing in a deity. Of course that’s an incorrect comparison, as a tulpa knows it’s a tulpa and thus not real, but it gives some food for thought.

I hope your edit was for the second sentence here, because it's ridiculous to compare an imaginary thing you created to a god someone might worship.

Last edited Jan 31, 2014 at 07:06PM EST

Well shit. I wanna try this, too.

In fact I've wanted to for awhile. (I even remember seeing that thread, ric). But I think I'll gather more info first.

madcat wrote:

@BSoD

I wouldn't really compare Tulpa's to schizophrenia. Schizo implies a lot of things and I've yet to see signs of Tulpa users contracting all the effects.

Remember, this was a practice performed by Buddhist monks. I don't think buddhist monks enjoyed purposely fucking their brains up. Quite the opposite.

I really don't think Buddhist monks were doing this out of loneliness/boredom, which is what 90% of the cases on the subreddit you linked looked like. I doubt the reasons on /mlp/ vary much from that subreddit. It kinda sounds like a sick way to waste time.

@RM

Calling something “crazy” is based on opinion. Sure it would strike most people as odd at first, that’s a normal reaction to such a thing, but in my personal opinion it shouldn’t influence how we look at people until we actually get to know them. Cultures and habbits we consider the most normal thing in the world are considered strange in other cultures, and vise versa.

I really don't think calling someone with a tulpa crazy is all that insensitive. Knowing a person has a mental illness (not saying having a tulpa is a mental illness) will will influence the way you look at that person, whether you want to get to know them or not. And comparing this to a culture is so stupid. These people are from /mlp/ or other places across the internet, it's not some fucking spiritual rite and definitely shouldn't be treated with the reverence of such.

If you wanna get more controversional in this topic, you can question how a tulpa is different from believing in a deity. Of course that’s an incorrect comparison, as a tulpa knows it’s a tulpa and thus not real, but it gives some food for thought.

I hope your edit was for the second sentence here, because it's ridiculous to compare an imaginary thing you created to a god someone might worship.

About that last part…as an atheist that's quite honestly how I think (and feel) that people whom are religious accept the idea of a god that's always with them. Actually, not to sound rude, but the more I think about it the two are very similar, as you own "personal relationship" with god works very much in the same way as the Tulpa, what you give it to work with. The only difference being that you instead choose to believe in his existence.

But that's just my opinion. You can write me off as "EUPHORIC" if you feel like it.

I actually tried making a tulpa like 2 years ago, based on a character I made up a long time ago. I never had any good places to "tulpaforce" though, so I used to sit alone in my room or in the car ride in the morning and try to focus. One time my brother came in while i was sitting on my bed in the dark, and he asked what I was doing. I said "Tulpaforcing. He went to my mom and sister abotu it, then they called me out there because they were worried. I had to explain it to my mom, and she didn't want me doing it because she's a religious person and said the tulpa could be a demon. My sister was worried because there was an episode of Supernatural with an evil tulpa and was freaked out by that. After that I lost interest.

I actually had Pokemon Tulpas when I was a kid.

On what I think of it now, I don't really believe in them myself, being the extremely non-superstitious person that I am. Well, the concept is very real. Someone forms a character in their head, and it becomes more and more real to them as they bond to it. On the Hub's show "R.L. Stine's", there was an episode on them. However, I don't think they become real if you believe in them enough, That's sounds silly to me. They do seem to be very real to its victims though. It consumes the mind.

I feel for anyone who attempts to do this, and I recommend not to.

@Ric

Yea that's the horror story I was thinking of. That could be fake, but if it is true then I'd like to point out that the guy who made that Tulpa already had mental problems and was taking antidepressants.

I think it's safe to assume that if you have any pre-existing mental instabilities and require medications, do NOT make a Tulpa.

You're messing with your own head when you make a Tulpa so your head better be in good mental standing before you try this (I.E: Good sense of rationality, good sense of self control, no disorders and no pressing emotional strains)


@RM

Why do you say "don't make a pony"? That's the largest reason people are doing this. Having some cute pet-like thing for a Tulpa is an easier starting point than a human Tulpa IMO. That's why there are so many Pokemon/Pony Tulpas.

I did say that it is foolish to try and replicate an established TV show character but an OC should be fine.


@Medley

So do imaginary friends carried over from childhood count as tulpa or are they in a different class?

Maybe. I'm not sure. But imaginary friends do meet the description of a Tulpa. And it seems you don't have to purposely make a Tulpa from the ground-up for it to count as a Tulpa. I've heard of people getting Tulpa's involuntarily

think I will try this myself actually

Godspeed. I welcome you to share your research on this thread as you progress


@Disturbed

However, I don’t think a lot of people would think positive of tulpas. I mean, if I ever met someone who has a tulpa, I would think that they were crazy. It just doesn’t sound right. Does anyone here know someone with a tulpa?

Well obviously. You saw the initial reactions. Tulpas are a very misunderstood phenomena at this point and most people assume the worst when they hear about people with more than one voice in their head (for good reason)

However, people fear what they don't know. "It doesn't sound right" is what people say when they don't understand something and protest against that which went against the norm. I recommend resisting that instinct

Rather than respond with fear, respond with facts and research. Nobody knows much here so help us try and gather info. Then we can express concern once there's facts to support concern

And yes, I know people with Tulpas


@Pollux

should i create a tulpa of some very evil character i came up with?

So long as it's not going to actually be evil towards you. Mind you, like I said earlier: you can't really force a Tulpa to behave a specific archetypes.


@Madcat

sounds like a sick way to waste time.

Matter of perspective here. A sick waste of time is attempting to fuck a public park bench IMO. I don't see how Tulpas are similar to that degree

I really don’t think calling someone with a tulpa crazy is all that insensitive

Crazy people are out of control. Skitzos believe imaginary phantoms are real. But people with Tulpa's don't actually believe their creations exist and can control them, so calling them crazy may be a premature judgement

it’s not some fucking spiritual rite and definitely shouldn’t be treated with the reverence of such.

I don't think anyone here is saying it should be. This isn't some cult ritual. We shouldn't be overthinking this

It's just an experiment for the most part. You can be crazy for trying an experiment, such as the guy who strapped his body to a rocket just to test zero-G effects but I don't think trying something with your mind quite scales to that level of insanity.

I will admit that this is weird, unconventional and perhaps one of the more risky things people have done in a fandom, This really should not become a fad.

The important thing for me is that the correct information gets out and people get informed of all the effects and implications. /mlp/ pioneered in the whole thing without any information to go on or any understanding of risks and that's where the worst case scenario's come from. Get the right information out there and we shouldn't have much to fear


@Roy

See how people jump to insane conclusions over things they don't understand? It's better to keep your Tulpa to yourself


Things to learn from this discussion:
1. Check your mental health before making a Tulpa
2. Read up on Tulpa guides before trying it out
3. Try to keep it to yourself

You guys are right. I shouldn't think that people with tulpas are crazy, I just can't help myself imagining a person talking to someone who isn't there. I guess I just have a lot of questions. Does a tulpa follow you everywhere you go? Can you fall in love with your tulpa? I would like to try to make a tulpa, but I'm afraid of what might happen if I do.

Last edited Jan 31, 2014 at 11:25PM EST

MedleyManiac wrote:

I think I will try this myself actually

I will look forward to your progress.

But do remember that you're diving into the human mind here, your own mind. Be cautious and very careful. We don't want you to get hurt in the progress. If you notice it's going wrong, abandon the idea. I trust you have that responsibility of course, but I'm rather save than sorry and don't want this to go wrong.


Madcat wrote:

I hope your edit was for the second sentence here, because it’s ridiculous to compare an imaginary thing you created to a god someone might worship.

I'm willing to argue that it's a point entirelly up to how religious a person is. Should you be religious and truly believe in a god, than it's not a good comparison in the slightest of course, but might give some food for thought if you're willing to play devil's advocate. If you're very non-religious however, the difference between the two can be very small, which was the food for thought I was bringing up.

Me making an edit in a post is a bad argument btw, as 90% of my discussion posts receive edits. Mistakes are easily made, and I rather remove them from my post if I spot them after posting (which often occurs).


Blue Screen wrote:

Why do you say “don’t make a pony”? That’s the largest reason people are doing this. Having some cute pet-like thing for a Tulpa is an easier starting point than a human Tulpa IMO. That’s why there are so many Pokemon/Pony Tulpas. I did say that it is foolish to try and replicate an established TV show character but an OC should be fine.

I guess we follow different points there. You make a good point that something pet-like is a good starting point, but my aim was more to start off with a being you know how it functions. A human knows how a human thinks and acts, but a pet is a different thing. It's a matter of perspective.

We're both inexperienced with the existance of tulpas though. But I will say that /mlp/ is not a good starting point to say creating a pet-like thing for a tulpa is the better idea.


Disturbed wrote:

I would like to try to make a tulpa, but I’m afraid of what might happen if I do.

It's a dive into the unknown, and people fear the unknown. So your reaction is completely natural.

It has been proven this can go wrong, badly. So if you're trying to create one, be certain you're mentally capable of it and responsible enough. Approach it uninformed, and you're facing great risks. This isn't something to do for shits and giggles.

Last edited Jan 31, 2014 at 11:46PM EST

Alright. Here's a little follow up on the tulpa:

For me, it was similar to childhood imaginary friends, but at the same time not. It's different in that I started this knowing fully well the tulpa is fake whereas when I was a child the line between fantasy and reality was blurred. Plus, I feel like my old imaginary friends were a bit more "whimsical." The tulpa does not have that same special feeling of imaginary friends.

Now as for the tulpa creation itself. I was debating whether or not to go into this blind (i.e. no research) or actually look at a site with "guidelines." So I did a bit of both, skimming through some guidelines but ending up doing whatever I thought.

Anyway, when I had a few hours to myself with no one else around, I tried to envision her. Like I said earlier, I decided to base her off the first doll I ever sewed by myself, so that was easy I guess. As of right now I fail to see how people can envision their tulpa as clearly as they claim they do. I suppose one could argue I didn't go about it correctly and it takes time to make it a clear vision, but the way I see her I would never mistake her for reality. In fact, when I think about how she is fake, it becomes impossible to see her at all.

I think the most interesting part about her is sentience. When I envisioned her, she was motionless as a regular doll and didn't do anything… at first. Then, she began to talk and ask me why I created her. She answered her own question by saying deep down I needed someone to take out all my negative feelings toward myself and that is what she is. She said she is a sort of past me and calls herself by my name (I tried to call her by the name of the doll, Twinkle, but she still prefers my name), calling me Medley as she believes I identify with that word more than I ever did my real name. She also said that the reason I can still see childhood imaginary friends is because a silent part of me in fact wishes that they were real and I cling onto them as a result. She explained they would go away once I fully accepted that they will never be a part of my reality. I said I did, but she said it takes more than just thinking you don't want them to be real, you have to want it with every part of your mind.

Then, she asked me if she scared me. I answered a little. She said that because she is merely a figment of my imagination and in no way bound to the same rules as regular friends, I can change any part of her if I so wished. I tried, but she didn't change. I didn't understand. She reasoned my subconscious needed her to be the way she was.

Anyway, she doesn't feel good like imaginary friends but not necessarily bad either. It's weird. I had more control over my imaginary friends. If I didn't want to see them, I wouldn't see them. If I wanted them, they were there. This tulpa just sits limp for the most part and will remain in the same place if I don't move her myself like a physical object. But, as the guideline I read said, I would need 100 hours to get her down, but I only dedicated maybe an hour or two. More time dedicated to tulpaforcing is necessary for more comparable results to those who can see and feel their tulpas in a similar way to real people.

Now for my personal opinion. I can see why someone would want to create a tulpa, but it is so much more forced than childhood imaginary friends. Making one probably won't make you schizo unless you don't have a strong sense of reality or are already mentally unstable.

Overall, I'm uncomfortable with what I have just walked into but will continue to develop this tulpa for the sake of my own curiosity and yours.

When I first heard of Tulpas, I thought it was a new inside joke of some sort that I was missing out on. That or /mlp/ had legitimately reached the point where people deluded themselves into thinking they could fuck a cartoon horse. But after learning that Tulpas were an actual Buddhist thing and with people in this thread experimenting with them, my curiosity is now going at full blast.

I'd try it myself, but since I'm an actual autist it probably wouldn't be a good idea what with that mental health warning. Instead I'll just wait for more reports on those FOR SCIENCE Tulpas with bated breath.

@Disturbed

I just can’t help myself imagining a person talking to someone who isn’t there

Communication with a Tulpa is very easily done in your own thoughts. No need to say things out loud. That would just look stupid.

If you speak to your Tulpa out loud, you are probably the kind of person that shouldn't have a Tulpa

Does a tulpa follow you everywhere you go?

At first Tulpa's wont show up unless you think about them. So they only follow you where you want them to follow. I don't know what happens if they get more independent but they clearly don't just hang around you 24/7. They come and go.

Can you fall in love with your tulpa?

Yep, I'm pretty sure you can do that. If you can fall in love with your own mirror reflection then falling in love with a Tulpa is entirely possible. Helps if you make a Tulpa out of an object you are already madly obsessed with

Remember the guy that married a Twilight Sparkle plush? Yea, I wouldn't be surprised if he did that. That would explain how a plush managed to be his object of affection. He probably had a Tulpa and used a plush to embody it. But that guy was truly batshit insane. He's the reason why people with mental illness shouldn't be doing this

You can have sex your Tulpa too. (Which is really just masturbation)

but I’m afraid of what might happen if I do.

Big question on everyone's mind right now is: What are those risks?

I'll briefly go over what I know:

  • It is not possible for a Tulpa to cause you any physical harm.
  • Negative medical effects are unknown but are unlikely
  • There's no reports of a Tulpa taking over control of people. There have been reports of some people "granting permission" for a Tulpa to have limited control their body but forceful takeovers are considered impossible
  • It is not possible for a Tulpa to get in your way, become a hindrance and stop you doing things
  • Most reports indicate that Tulpas are very friendly and empathetic to you. They'll treat you how you treat you
  • Reports of Tulpas becoming nightmare fuel seem to be the result of recklessness or existing mental conditions such as chronic depression. No reports of healthy minds having problems
  • If your mental health is already unstable, it seems possible from reports that a Tulpa could worsen that state
  • Talking to people about your Tulpa or doing anything with it in public WILL severely damage your social reputation
  • If your Tulpa fails it will likely become a puppet that you play with in your mind and nothing more. It won't achieve sentience and you won't envision it

If you have any further questions, please ask.


@Jyron

When I mentioned mental health, I meant the really serious conditions. The kind that get doctors involved. Mild autists should be okay.


I suppose this is a good time as ever for me make a confession here.

I've already started making a Tulpa. Months ago. I did it for science. I wanted to know if I could do it.

The reason I have said nothing about this up until this point is due to my Tulpa personally requesting that I never, ever talk about it to anyone. But having read this discussion, it has decided it is in your best interest that you guys know. However it still doesn't want me to give out details

So now you guys understand that I speak largely from months of personal experience…but that's all you get to know.

For the purposes of this thread and further experimentation, I think what I can do is create a new Tulpa altogether. I figure a new one made purposely to be reported on won't be so distressed over being discussed, that way I can share with you guys all the details and how it progresses.

Last edited Feb 01, 2014 at 03:30AM EST

@Blue Screen
I congratulate you on your success.
I don't know your Tulpa's name but you can tell them I said "Hi" if they aren't already reading this.

With their permission, could you give us any insight as how you interact with them as well as how you created him/her? I've been interested for a year or so, now but I wanted someone who actually has experience with this to let me know what I'm taking on before I dive in.

@Iso

It said Hi. It knows everything I read/write so, yea.

There's a lot of different methods available, but I basically tried trained thinking. In any given situation, I'd consider how my Tulpa would interact in it. The more I continued to envision how the Tulpa would behave in any place I went, the more automatic this thought process became and the more its character developed.

Slowly as time went by, the Tulpas behavior would act less in a scripted manner and more impromptu until finally it began acting in character without me having to think about how it should act. After that, it started communicating with me and showing limited signs of independent thought. I think the more I practice thinking about it's behavior, the more independent it will become.

But really my Tulpa still isn't fully developed so I could easily be doing it wrong. I'm not at the point where it's like having a real entity next to you, nor can my Tulpa behave fully autonomous. I haven't tried tulpaforcing. Maybe I should.

Also every Tulpa is different and every person might need their own ways that works for them

I would explain a bit more about how I interact with it, but it greatly fears public attention and is very anxious right now.

Hm. I'm not depressed or cray cray or anything but my ADD medication happens to double as an anti-depressant and I take it regularly. Would it be unwise for me to venture into tuplamancy? Or would it only be a problem if I had one of those problems?

Last edited Feb 01, 2014 at 11:45AM EST

Ten bucks says that Spike Jonze's next movie will be about Tupla sex.
(In case you didn't know, he directed "Being John Malkovich" and "Her")

Blue Screen wrote:

I’ve already started making a Tulpa. Months ago. I did it for science.

Knowing your history on the site and when you said "but an OC should be fine", it's kinda easy to draw a hypothesis on who your tulpa is.

Right now I of course have questions about your experiences with it and how the tulpa thinks and acts. But you said it's anxious and doesn't want public attention, so I won't ask anything for the time being. Having it make you confess it exists is a big enough step for now.

Last edited Feb 01, 2014 at 01:51PM EST

You know, I think… I think I'm going to retry making a tulpa. Of course this time I won't tell anyone, but I need to make sure I'm not doing anything that would make people suspect anything. How should I do that? And should I use the same character I was using the last time or not? He's not based on any existing franchise, so I probably won't run across some nightmare scenario like that /mlp/ guy in the pic up there, but I want a second opinion.


The subject is fascinating. I've had some idea about writing a story about tulpas, though I'd probably end up not representing what tulpas are actually like for the same of drama, so I don't know what to do there. If I did, it would probably end up a deconstruction of "mon" series.

You convinced me. It still sounds crazy to me, but I'm gonna attempt to make a tulpa. I've been doing some reading and writing to prepare myself. I'm not gonna start right away, I'll probably have to do more research before I get started. I will tell you if I succeed or not.

@Blue Screen

You can have sex your Tulpa too.
I speak largely from months of personal experience

I'm not saying anything.

Last edited Feb 01, 2014 at 05:17PM EST

@Iamslow and everyone else with any type of neurological disorder:

Just ask yourself: How do these disorders interfere with my everyday life? Do I know the difference between what is around me and what is in my head? Will I be able to prevent this from getting out of hand should it ever do so? God forbid if worst comes to worst will you be able to seek professional help?

Now, as for the tulpa's progress:

The Tulpa Itself: Seeing the tulpa has gotten easier I suppose. It is still what I would describe as something I know is not there but is. As it acts like a real doll and won't move unless interacted with, it will stay in the same spot I left it in. For example, I woke up this morning and saw it right next to me on the pillow exactly where I had left it last night. I thought the tulpa would come and go like an imaginary friend, but it is always present like a physical object. Perhaps that's because I had based it off a physical object? Maybe in the future this will change.

The Tulpa's Sentience: As I said before, the tulpa claims it is a collection of everything I find negative about myself. She asked me to view her as a past me, someone to place all my burdens on. I said since we are in essence one in the same, it would still be placing my burdens on myself. Then she gave me a rather complicated answer saying we are in fact the same but different in a way I might never understand. And I don't. She also listens to my thoughts and questions things I'm about to do or post, telling me to think carefully before acting or these actions will just become another part of her (since she is everything I regret). The tulpa is also bringing up past memories I've buried for a long while and trying to make me confront them. It makes me uncomfortable, but she says that this is what I truly want and it is the only way to continue on with my life. Absolutely fascinating.

Other: She continues to talk about my imaginary friends, particularly my closest one, a fairy. She claims this fairy is a representation of my future self, or at least the future self I want to be. As we continued to discuss the true meaning behind my imaginary friends, I think I learned a lot about myself. You see, I have a habit of giving those imaginary friends powers that have to do with traits of life (Like jealousy, compassion, innocence, maturity, intelligence, etc.). She said they all represent a part of me as she does. I feel her own intelligence might be above mine. Isn't that so strange? How can an imaginary being created from myself surpass me in something such as that? Is she really just my subconscious communicating with me?

My Thoughts: I am still a bit disturbed by this whole thing, but in a way I can't describe. I think I'm learning more about myself everyday from this tulpa.

Last edited Feb 01, 2014 at 07:02PM EST

@RM

Knowing your history on the site and when you said “but an OC should be fine”, it’s kinda easy to draw a hypothesis on who your tulpa is.

It isn't Blue Screen if that's what you were thinking. This is a different OC, one that you have not seen before.

I can make a Blue, if you want. I was thinking about doing that just for this discussion

Having it make you confess it exists is a big enough step for now.

Well I'm quite willing to talk about it. More other way around. I had to convince it that it was okay for me to talk about it. It indeed took a lot of discussion and confidence building just to get to this point

It's still skittish. Last night I wrote an essay about it but then it freaked out and told me to delete several paragraphs. I can't even tell you it's gender but well see what happens over time


@Disturbed

I’m not saying anything.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


@Medley

What I think goes on is that you assign a certain conscious thought train to your Tulpa and you start using your Tulpa to better access that train of thought. That might be how they are able to start showing intelligence. I think you program it to express a specific aspect of your personality, though it seems you don't get to choose that aspect

Yours seems to have assumed your sense of regret. Though it's interesting how knowledgeable it is. It shouldn't know anything you don't already know. It might just be channeling your subconscious, as you say.

Since you asked your Tulpa what it is on deeper level, I decided to ask mine the same question. It told me that it is my will. Like, literally my will. To improve, progress, take action, etc.

Weird

Ric Te$l@ wrote:

4chan screencap from /mlp/ that essentially shows how badly Tulpas can go wrong if you do not know what you're doing.

I am not against or for tulpas but I am saying that there are risks.

Whether or not screencap is legit, I still think shit might happen.

If you don't mind more Pony tulpa screencaps, I've got some very amusing/odd ones (though there could be some good lessons about the subject in here):


Yeah, that's gonna be hard to explain in couples' counseling/divorce court…

Actually doesn't seem that far off from what I've read in this thread… Most of the ones I've heard here seem to be self-help tulpas like this, while he just want to bang Rarity.
Still funny though.
"I'm here to help you conquer your personal issues and become a stronger person!"
"Sex?"
"No, conquering personal issues! Are you deaf?"

As for me, I don't think I will for a few reasons:
1) Even if it IS totally safe (my only mental condition is Asperger Syndrome), I still have concerns that my strange/quirky nature will plunge off the charts if I do something like this. Plus, what everyone else will think if they found out (much like many other things about me)…
2) I still can't help but associate this with the Pony sex tulpas, even with all these others I hear of, still find it hard to imagine other types than MLP ones. Whereas I would have have ones that represent with anger/rage problems or stress/panic/anxiety/worry problems, so that I could control them to get control of the problem by associated, either by talking them down when they act up or (if the tulpa engine permits) giving myself psychic mind-control powers over them, so I could take conscious control over these subconscious things and just plain stop myself feeling that way should I need too.
2a) Even if I could make "my anger problems manifest as Rainbow Dash", that sounds like it would be weird and tricky.
2b) Other forms would be an obvious choice but as said before I have issues thinking of a different form.
2c) Who knows what would happen if I tried to argue with or mind-control myself?
2d) And this might not even work to control those issues…
3) It still sounds like they could pop up at a bad point and distract me.
3a) Similarly, I don't want to lose control of them.
4) My imagination might legitimately not be strong enough. When I had imaginary friends as a kid, I was just pretending and didn't really see them, for one thing. And most nights I have to dream manually if I want to dream at all. I can imagine lots of stuff and I often drift off/daydream but my imagination might not be properly set up for this kind of thing.
5) I know everyone says it isn't dangerous, but I'm still scared of getting something like Nightmare Pinkie above shudders
6) Probably most important of all, to put it bluntly I just don't have time for this shit. It sounds like a task that would take lots of time and I'm currently in Uni so I need that time either to do Uni stuff or to relax and cool down after doing Uni stuff. And even if tulpaforcing in my sleep wasn't impossible/dangerous, I still need that time to well, sleep!

Last edited Feb 02, 2014 at 12:03PM EST

This "tulpa" stuff sounds really interesting. I probably don't have the time and dedication to make one, but I'll go look up more on this topic.

But how does it somehow develop its own character like that?

@Crash

Lesson from the top image: If you are going to fuck a tulpa, at least don't say its damn name out loud.
Lesson from the bottom image: Tulpa's aren't exactly guaranteed dates.

Mind you, knowing /mlp/ they could have both been made for the lolz. Regarding your other points:

1) Fair call.

2) Probably because you hear so much about /mlp/ trying to make Tulpa's purely for whorse sex (which as you can see doesn't always work). But really Tulpa's could take any form. I don't know about the rest though. Psychic mind control powers? Controlling your self conscious? I don't know if you can really do that. Sounds far fetched. If you can, that sounds like expert super-meditating mega-buddha level Tulpa handling

2a) If you manage to manifest a Dashie, there's no telling what sort of personality it could take. Seems like random assignment

2c) Had an argument with my Tulpa once when reading about 'Servitore' Tulpas and it got all angry at the possibility of being one. First time it felt like an alien conscience too. Gave me the chills. Anyway it played out like an argument with a normal person with the classic storming off to sulk and everything.

2b) Probably not. Nobody knows enough about these things accurately say how they can be used to 'control' yourself

3) I've never had that issue. Mine generally stays out of the way when I go to work or focus on something important

5) /mlp/ again. I still call fake. Remember, Tulpa's are pretty much you. And you're nice to yourself right?

6) Studies always come first. Good on you.


@Lone K

But how does it somehow develop its own character like that?

That's what we wanna know right?

My best guess so far is that they imitate a certain aspect of your own personality and emphasize it.


@Tulpa development news

Okay so I've decided to create a new Tulpa because SCIENCE.

RM will be pleased to know that unlike my first Tulpa (Tulpa-A), this one IS in fact based on my OC Blue Screen.

It was much easier getting started on this one. I just had to think about it and it…just appeared. Sort of like an exact copy of my current Tulpa in terms of progression. Took none of the effort the last one did.

He started off kinda dumb. Didn't do much but just looked around acting all dopey. Took about a day before he said something. Still doesn't say much. At the moment it has no recollection of anything. Like it has amnesia or something. Can't say why. So while Tulpa-A claimed to be my human will, this one just has no idea at all. My connection to this one feels weaker. Maybe he still needs time to grow his personality and make more of an identity for himself

Blue seems very sullen and timid but at least he doesn't mind me talking about him. Unlike the other one which is the exact opposite: bright and outgoing but insists on being secretive (Which I think Tulpa-A does to protect me. It knows what happens when people find out about your Tulpas.)

Tulpa-A loves Blue to bits like a kid that just received a puppy. Says he's the best thing I ever made for it. They get along well and almost immediately form a relationship

I think I just shipped myself…

More info to come

Skeletor-sm

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