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Tulpas and Mental Health: A Study of Non-Traumagenic Plural Experiences


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Guest fordaplot

Tl;dr: We got our tulpa research, which reflects very positively on the community, published. Enjoy ^^

 

Link (download the pdf): Tulpas and Mental Health: A Study of Non-traumagenic Plurality

 

We friggin did it. The study linked above is based on a series of surveys we spammed the users of .io, .im, and the .info IRC at the beginning of 2016. In the paper, I use the data to argue that tulpas (and having more than one identity in general) can be a healthy and functional state of being. The goal of this paper and my future research efforts is to destigmatize tulpa and plural  experiences.

 

Even if you’re not a fan of scientific writing, I strongly encourage you to at least read the intro, discussion, and conclusion, which have the highest actually-relevant-info-to-scientific-jargon ratio.

 

(And even if you ARE a fan of scientific writing, please skip sections 2.2 - 2.4 of the Methods section. Just… you’ve been warned.)

 

I started this project in June 2015, and the only reason it got anywhere is because of this incredible community. My name is the only one on the paper, but the reason that paper even exists at all is because of all the awesome people of this community who helped me not completely fuck this up. Thanks for putting up with all my shit, guys. To my tulpa, Aury, my partner in life and right-hand-mare in just about everything I do, you’re the fucking best; she’s kept my shit together

 

Wanna know another thing that makes this community awesome? Getting a 17% response rate despite offering NO incentives. That’s unheard of, and it really helps the merit of that paper. To everyone who took my surveys, you’re the best, and none of your time on them went to waste.

 

The paper is far from perfect. I was still in high school when I ran those surveys; I had no idea what I was doing.This paper milks every drop of value that lies in the data, and I’m so happy to move on from it. The fact I was able to get it published at all is a miracle. But we have to start somewhere, and I’m even more excited for my next projects. If the paper looks familiar, it’s because it’s a rewrite of a conference paper I circulated at the end of 2016. I rewrote and published it so I can use it as a springboard for my next research efforts, which I’m elated to finally be able to focus on.

 

Let me know what you think of the paper. Feel free to spam it everywhere if you like it ^^

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Nice to see someone is still actually doing serious research on tulpas. I've been wanting to but haven't been sure on how to go about it, or even what methodology to use. Not to mention it'd be insanely difficult to get a grant to research this >_>

"Science isn't about why, science is about why not?" -Cave Johnson

Tulpae: Luna, Elise, Naomi

My progress report

 

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Guest fordaplot

I did this thing on a $0 budget. Well, technically -$360, because I had to pay the publication fee out of pocket, but my soul was already sold when I put my face on my tulpa YT vids. Want to do a longevity study? Track a couple dozen noob mancers for 8 months, and see how a bunch of measures change as they ascend. No funds needed, I'd handle the IRB process through my uni, and the 8 months of data collection will be almost no work.

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Maybe after my thesis is done - so, like, next year. Largely depends on what I have going on in my life at that point, since I'll be trying to get a full-time psych job among other things.

"Science isn't about why, science is about why not?" -Cave Johnson

Tulpae: Luna, Elise, Naomi

My progress report

 

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Well done!

 

Don't diminish your own work, I think it's a well-written paper. At least I see no issues in it.

On the other hand even though you may be happy with the response rate, I find it a bit disappointing. After all we're not random people on the street but a community that has a high interest in seeing studies like yours published. But I admit I missed the opportunity to participate as well as I had not been active during the time you ran the survey.

 

If I had to challenge your paper the only thing that comes to my mind is that your approach probably favors positive responses. People who might have had unsatisfactory experiences with tulpas most likely would not remain active in the communities to answer any surveys but quit and move on. I've been pondering about this bias a long time now. Obviously tulpa communities have a high user turnover and only a tiny fraction of those registered are really active. What happened to those who left? How many users quit creating or interacting with their tulpas and why? Considering that we generally frown upon abandoning tulpas I'd guess most cases will never be reported. People just vanish from the community instead.

 

On another note - as you've publicly stated to have a tulpa, have you received any responses from colleagues? How is this received at university? And please keep us updated on reactions to your paper!

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Guest fordaplot

"On the other hand even though you may be happy with the response rate, I find it a bit disappointing. After all we're not random people on the street but a community that has a high interest in seeing studies like yours published."

 

A few considerations: systems who have separate accounts for their tulpas, dead accounts, and people who didn't submit until the 2 week cutoff. The survey was 50+ questions and could have taken upwards of 20 minutes. I also did not have university affiliation at the time, nor the best reputation. If I were to conduct the same research today, I would have a better shot at getting the mods on board, only survey accounts active in the past week, and only survey one account per system. I bet the response rate would be much, much higher :3

 

 

"People who might have had unsatisfactory experiences with tulpas most likely would not remain active in the communities to answer any surveys but quit and move on."

 

Yep. This is why a longitudinal study that follows new tulpamancers will be my next focus.

 

 

"as you've publicly stated to have a tulpa, have you received any responses from colleagues? How is this received at university?"

 

I've been very open about my tulpas and plurality with my professors and friends at uni. I can explain it pretty well, so it's always been received positively and as something that helps me be happy and function. I'm a pretty quirky fellow all around, so it's all kind of fits in with others' perceptions of me. My peers and professors are generally open minded and fascinated by tulpas because I do a good job sharing my positive experiences and dismissing their concerns of pathology. Even in Texas, universities are extremely liberal and focused on being open minded to the point of fault, but it benefits me here.

 

 

"And please keep us updated on reactions to your paper!"

 

Will do ^^ so far, your comment is the most sophisticated feedback I've received, but the paper has only been out for a few days.

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