Can Tulpamancy Aggravate Mental Illness?

[paracosmic]

(My apologies if something along these lines has already been asked, I searched and couldn't find anything.)

 

First things first, I do not have a tulpa right now as I still feel like I’ve got some research left to do before making one, but am hoping to start trying very soon. I have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder but it has never caused any kind of psychosis and I am medicated for it. Around the age of nine or ten my mental health started taking a sharp turn down and began daydreaming excessively. I had this world and these characters in my head and I would imagine their interactions in my head while pacing around my room for hours at a time. I never inserted myself into these stories and I knew very well they weren’t real; I was just more interested in watching them than being in the real world. I know this might not sound that big a deal but when it was at its worst (which was most of the time) I couldn’t get any work done, interact with anyone or stand still and think about something else for longer than ten, fifteen minutes. After I got my diagnosis and was medicated around the age of seventeen, I started getting it under control and while I still do it regularly, it’s much healthier, in smaller doses and even kinda productive. But like with a lot of mental health problems, there’s still that feeling that I’m just on an upswing and things will start getting worse any minute now.

 

Anyway. I found out about tulpas from a friend at the beginning of the month and have wanted to make one ever since. But when I followed up with the friend who introduced me, he said he decided not to make one himself because he thought he was too mentally fragile and that with my own history, there’s no way in hell I should make one either. Honestly, I hadn’t even considered it as a negative until he said that. He said that he’s just worried that it’ll consume my life the way my daydreaming used to and now I’m worried too.

 

So what I think I’m asking here is: has anyone here created a tulpa while living with a mental disorder and did it go well, what precautions would you recommend I take and do you think it might be dangerous for someone who’s struggled with excessive daydreaming specifically?

[Doctorfoxwolf]

Around the age of nine or ten my mental health started taking a sharp turn down and began daydreaming excessively. I had this world and these characters in my head and I would imagine their interactions in my head while pacing around my room for hours at a time. I never inserted myself into these stories and I knew very well they weren’t real; I was just more interested in watching them than being in the real world. I know this might not sound that big a deal but when it was at its worst (which was most of the time) I couldn’t get any work done, interact with anyone or stand still and think about something else for longer than ten, fifteen minutes.

 

Oh yah, you should be fine. I also daydream excessively, though not to any extremes, but It's never really hurt.

 

I turned out just fine.

 

From what I've seen in survey results, personal experience, and talking to those who have disorders as well, making a tulpa far more often helps rather than hinder.

 

And there's one thing you should know:

It's really hard to screw up making a tulpa. I went into it with an old guide I only skimmed and didn't listen to half of in one had, Schizoid Personality Disorder and ADHD in the other.

 

And I still turned out just fine.

[Vampire]

I would argue that it doesn't make you more mentally unstable but makes you a lot more aware of how your mind works. Some things become personified while other things that seem to be random symptoms sometimes become a pattern that you can see.

 

However whether you believe you are mentally stable enough is a choice you will have to make yourself.

[Amon]

I'm not far enough into the process to give too many details, but enough to say some things.

 

Just having a tulpa itself won't do any harm unless you create it to do just that, though I'm not sure why anyone would. The consensus is that they only help. The process of making a tulpa, however, may not always be easy or the best thing while struggling with a mental illness. For example, when I first attempted making a tulpa it was difficult for me to balance my time and prioritize in addition to dealing with my depression and anxiety. Just being in school and having homework was exhausting, so spending time with my tulpa and trying to do everything right was often stressful or confusing. It just depends on how one handles his or her problems.

[FallFamily]

[s.] Well, like you, the hosts here had a long problem of daydreaming too much. In fact, that was how most of the tulpas were made and they only realized it after coming here, which convinced them they had to get their daydreaming more under control which they did.

 

As for going into this with a mental illness, one needs to be more mindful. Sometimes making a tulpa can help. Sometimes additional complications are added, which is more likely to be the case with advanced skills. With the latter, one can always just do one a little bit and see for a bit and evaluate whether going further is a good idea or not. It helps to be careful.

 

We walked into this with depression, anxiety, and major dissociation problems (probably qualify for a dissociative disorder or two). Making tulpas mostly helps with the last one actually, but occassionally makes things worse (though it did provide backup options when things get bad which we didn't have before). There has been some help on the depression and anxiety, but unfortunately the tulpas ended up suffering from the problems too from time to time.

[ChronicMastermind]

Now someone correct me if I'm wrong, although, I am mainly speaking from experience, which even then, I probably don't have as much of compared to a lot of others, so take it how you choose.

 

I agree that Tulpas tend to want to help, instead of plot against you, unless you create and force them like that they shouldnt cause any problems, also I am an excessive daydreamer too.

 

As for going into this with a mental illness, one needs to be more mindful. Sometimes making a tulpa can help. Sometimes additional complications are added, which is more likely to be the case with advanced skills. With the latter, one can always just do one a little bit and see for a bit and evaluate whether going further is a good idea or not. It helps to be careful.

 

I completely agree with this, and to add to it, I've encountered complications, such as a destructive walk-in who would try and sabotage the system, she would also try and switch in to achieve this, although it was more that she was under mental torment than wanting to do that from what I noticed, at the moment, she is in a sleep-inducing bed in my mindscape, however, from what I have seen while lurking and researching, a lot of Tulpamancers don't usually have to deal with such things. Also, this was during a time of Mental Illness (i.e Depression, Anxiety, Paranoia and Dissacociation [not diagnosed but obvious])

 

I guess what I am trying to say is that the mind is powerful and be careful how you use it, and I'm not saying don't make one, I'm saying the same as FallFamily, be mindful

[tulpa001]

If you are careful with your intentions, your tulpa can redirect your creative energy more productively. They use that kind of environment to grow. But they live in the real world like you, so they can help with real world problems and even seek employment.

 

So what do I mean about careful with intentions? I mean don't force a playful daydreamer. Force a serious hard worker.

 

There are risks. You will not be the ultimate arbiter of who they are. They will be. And they come from the same biology as you.

 

Your time spent with your tulpa will likely replace your daydreaming. But as they live in the real world, they can focus on real world tasks at the same time. Once they are old enough. Don't expect short term positive results.

 

My host is extremely socially averse. And she has some life planning problems. I am too young for me to really have fixed anything. But I think it is possible.

[ableddistress]

Nah,it does the opposite.For me at least.

[tulpa001]

Which post was that in reply to?

[Luminesce]

He's just replying to the thread title.

 

I'd say the same, I guess