Forcing Basics v.0.90
by Watcher
Introduction
This guide covers the basics of forcing and narration, with emphasis on encouraging your tulpa’s autonomy from the start and developing a steady bond. I’ve done my best to make it as understandable as possible to beginners, but if anything confuses you I will be happy to field any questions.
What is Tulpamancy?
There are many nuances to what tulpamancy is, most of which can be read about on the main .io site, but for the sake of this guide I will keep the definition as simple as possible. At a base level, tulpamancy is the process of developing a second conscious entity in your brain by speaking to them until they develop autonomy of their own. This is done by distancing yourself from their responses and reactions, or dissociating yourself from them–if done enough, your brain will get confused, your tulpa’s autonomy will hit critical mass, and their processes will become fully independent from yours, resulting in a companion sharing your brain alongside you.
Creating a tulpa often takes time, though it differs for everyone. Some tulpas develop autonomy in a few days, some take months, and it’s impossible to say exactly how long the process will take. However, if you force or narrate regularly, it is very unlikely you will fail.
What is Forcing/Narration?
Forcing and narration are terms you will come across again and again in the tulpamancy community. Generally speaking, they both refer to the same thing, interacting with your tulpa. There are many ways to go about this. Active forcing, for instance, can involve interacting directly with your tulpa in your imagination through your mind’s eye, like daydreaming together. Narration and passive forcing both usually refer to talking to your tulpa as you go about other things throughout your day. Narration, at a base level, is probably the single most important aspect of tulpa creation–form and personality forcing come second to narration, since it is through narration that your tulpa will learn to think independently from you and be autonomous.
How Do I Force/Narrate?
There are many ways to go about it. Some people prefer interacting with their tulpa in their mind’s eye, some don’t. Some people prefer talking to their tulpas purely in thought, or even out loud (usually in private). Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you interact with your tulpa as long as you’re interacting with them, period, and while many beginners worry about the “best” way to force to get results, ultimately, the best way to force is whatever way is the most enjoyable for you and your tulpa, whether it be going on wonderland adventures or playing video games together. If you interact often and have fun while doing it, you’re on the right track.
First Response
Early on, it can be hard to distinguish which responses from your tulpa are not your own thoughts. At first, your tulpa’s responses may overlap yours, or happen too fast. Their responses may also be hard to distinguish from your own thoughts. This is absolutely normal, and will improve with time and practice. Your tulpa’s responses may also be sporadic at first, or they may speak a lot and go quiet for some time after getting “worn out”, which is also a normal occurrence early on and improves with practice and experience. Remember, your tulpa is learning how to think and be present in the early stages, and the more apt they become at thinking independently from you, the easier you will be able to distinguish whose responses are whose much easier. Generally speaking, if you have to question whether it was your tulpa or not, it was probably your tulpa–keep encouraging them to form their own opinions and have their own experiences apart from yourself and they will get stronger as time goes on.
A Note on Parroting and Disappearance
Many new tulpamancers worry about parroting, and assume that if they parrot too much, their tulpa will never become truly autonomous. This is not true. Parroting is often something that is consciously done, so if you receive an ambiguous response while narrating when you weren’t consciously parroting, chances are high it was your tulpa, and even if it wasn’t, it’s still practical in the long run to treat it as if it was. Beyond that, parroting itself is not always a bad thing, and can even be used to strengthen a tulpa’s mindvoice and improve the quality of their responses. It works in the same principle as teaching a young child to pronounce a word properly, the child learns how by listening to the adult’s pronunciation and replicates it on their own.
One exception to this, of course, is excessively dismissing your tulpa’s responses outright. As tulpamancy is the process of distancing yourself from your tulpa’s thoughts, to constantly associate your tulpa’s responses as your own when they happen is the equivalent of drawing a line and then erasing it again, as doing so will likely cause you to blend or merge back together. Or, to put it in another perspective, it’s hard to teach a kid how to say a word if you never let them speak for themselves at all.
Another common fear is that if a tulpa goes quiet for a day or two it means they will disappear forever. This is an understandable fear, however, while young tulpas can often be malleable and inconsistent early on, it is very unlikely that they will disappear entirely, especially if you continue to interact with them. It is more likely that they need more time to recharge and start talking again. If they ever do disappear for an extended time for whatever reason, a common tip is to write them a letter–it sounds strange, but if a tulpa is ever “deep” in the wonderland, a letter is often an easier way to reach them and get them to remember and associate with the front.
Developing Autonomy
The goal of tulpamancy is to interact with your tulpa regularly, until they are capable of acting all on their own, just as you are. A fully developed tulpa often has all the same capabilities as the host: they can make their own choices, surprise the host with responses they weren’t expecting, and even take control of the body and interact with the outside world. As all tulpas develop differently, there is no telling when your tulpa will become fully autonomous, or when they will become “sentient”, as sentience itself is not something that is empirically measurable–there will be no unlocked achievement or gold star that appears the exact moment your tulpa becomes fully sentient. As a result, it is more practical to focus on teaching your tulpa how to think autonomously and let the rest fall into place rather than worrying about reaching a nebulous milestone of “sentience” that you’ll never be 100% sure you’ve ever reached. There are some approaches you can take to encourage your tulpa to develop their autonomy more thoroughly. As a rule of thumb, avoid hour counts–as stated previously, everyone ticks differently and develops their tulpas at different rates, so whatever timeframe one person takes to create an independent tulpa likely won’t be the same for another. It’s not how long you force, it’s how often, and how effectively.
From the Tulpa’s POV
Generally speaking, young tulpas need as much attention and communication as possible, and even mundane things can seem interesting or novel to a very young tulpa. Bonding is especially important–you can encourage autonomy as much as possible, but they may still be reluctant to interact if you’re more focused on creating a tulpa than befriending them. That being said, bonding with your tulpa will take time, and it’s important not to rush it or force things, or go in with specific expectations of how you relate to one another. After all, the relationship between host and tulpa can take many, many forms.
In short, it’s important to make forcing enjoyable for your tulpa as well as yourself.
Forcing Suggestions
Early on, it can be immensely helpful to aid your tulpa in finding things they enjoy, both in wonderland and out, as the more passionate they become about certain subjects, the more autonomy they will develop. It is also likely your tulpa will be happy to bond with you over the interests you currently have and do those activities alongside you. If you’re wondering what to do while forcing, here is a cursory list or jumping off point outlining some things you can do together to build independence, or just for fun. If none of these options appeal to you, feel free to suggest your own.
• Build a wonderland together–if you’re very early in creation, it can be helpful to encourage your tulpa to give input on things right off the bat. • Encourage them to socialize in the community and proxy what they have to say–making friends can immensely help a tulpa’s development. • Find ways for your tulpa to express themselves creatively, through art, writing, or other hobbies, or encourage them to start a blog • When shopping, ask your tulpa if there’s anything they would like to buy. Don’t be too surprised if their tastes differ from yours. • Help each other remember things you’ve forgotten throughout the day–this can be useful in improving parallel processing • Learn lucid dreaming, and work on dreaming together • Read your tulpa a book, or have them read one to you • Watch TV or movies or play games with your tulpa • Play CaH/take bets • Draw your tulpa
As you can see, the things you can do while forcing are almost as diverse as the things you can do with any other friend. Be creative!
Other Tips/Guides/Methods
Personality can be a boon to a tulpa’s autonomy, but is not a necessity. However, if you’re considering forcing personality as well, here are some guides on doing so. Keep in mind, your tulpa’s personality can and will deviate, just as yours has throughout your life.
A comprehensive guide to personality that touches on first contact with a tulpa
Personality: Questions to Consider
Vocality and Personality – Mk. 1
Developing a wonderland can also be a big help, and you don’t need to have tulpa to create one and learn to immerse yourself in it. Learning to visualize and immerse yourself in the wonderland early on can also help with more advanced skills down the line, such as switching and imposition. Small Worlds, Contained Inside-Visualization Guide
Conclusion
That’s it for the basics. Happy forcing! If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask.