VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

[SomethingDire]

"How can I tell what is ACTUALLY coming form him? "

 

You cannot. In your mind, there may or may not be a tulpa. It is the harsh reality tulpamancers need to live with. It is not as harsh once you accommodate to the concept. We lack the materials, the gear and the technology to document our experiments in a legitimate way. It's like religion. Belief is one of the few things you can hold on to.

 

Would it truly matter, in the end? Ask yourself this question, and think about it. Would it matter if you were deluding yourself? What's the end goal you have? Is it companionship? Or is it affection? If you find those complements at some point, then why would you even care about whether it is actually coming from him?

 

 

 

Wow, Evil literally took the words right out my mouth. I can't highlight this enough. I'm a skeptical person by nature, and after I managed to let go of wondering whether that was me, my subconscious or one of my half-sentient mates acting up, we started to make solid progress. I don't think I'm fit to give any advice, so take these people's words and not mine. Excessive doubt, especially when it's about this particular topic, is harmful to progress.

[ThatOneWeirdGuy]

So I asked about feeling guilty for not spending all my time with Ben. But I still have a question.

 

You said that when I'm on the computer, I could talk to him. What if I'm watching YouTube? It's hard for me to talk to Ben over top of someone else speaking. Is there another way to hang out with him besides talking when I'm on the computer/phone?

[Lacquer]

Imagine if you're watching TV or a movie (or youtube videos) with a particularly talkative friend who feels he has to comment on every other thing. So much so that you find yourself pausing the video or rewinding it to rewatch what your friend pointed out or whatever. The trick here is to be that friend. Make sense?

[ThatOneWeirdGuy]

So.... comment on everything in a video to Ben? That sounds like it would annoy him.

[Lacquer]

Not everything. Just watch it actively instead of passively (like active listening, look it up), and whenever you feel it's right, make a comment. Really, just feel your way through it and you'll be fine.

[Vos]

Alternatively, go through the whole video with the thought in mind that you're looking for things to talk to Ben about, but don't actually pause during it. This still keeps your tulpa in your mind during the video and you'll have a lot of things to talk about afterwards, probably.