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Brain care and Tulpamancy


solarchariot

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Brain care and tulpamancy is something that interests me. I am interested in discovering ways I might improve brain health to see if I can enhance tulpamancy. I personally suspect just practicing tulpamancy is a way of improving brain health, and the more you engage the protocols, or your tulpa, the healthier your brain becomes. This is an unsubstantiated idea. I am particularly curious how nutrition plays a part. In his book, ‘The Man Who Tasted Shapes’ a book about synesthesia, neurologist Richard Cytowic reports a correlation between diet and vividness of synesthesia experiences. He states the American diet, full of processed sugars and caffeine decreases potency of experience, not verbatim, and as the day goes on, synesthesia wanes, becomes unnoticeable, because of our dietary habits. Tulpamancy and synesthesia are not related; I simply drawing on this as inspiration.

 

I have not noticed, for example, if coffee or no coffee has any apparent effect on my auditory experiences. I have noticed a sudden exhaustion following an overindulgence in carbs does; I am less likely to have experience during these moments. Periodic use of B6 has not resulted in noticeable levels of experiences waxing or waning.

 

From a strictly materialistic, clinical point of view- tulpamancy requires a healthy brain. Yes, I also hold a metaphysical paradigm; it is not hypocritical to recommend a brain regimen based on sound, physical health parameters. Nutrition, exercise, learning, social engagement, problem solving, and communicating are just some of the paths that lead towards healthy brains. I believe the healthier the brain, the greater the tulpamancy experience. Much of initial tulpamancy is about learning and conditioning. No one goes to a gym and picks up 300 pounds having never lifted a weight. You start with small weights, you build muscles, you learn techniques, you study, you get training, you have guides. ‘Use it or lose it’ applies to muscles and brains. The brain is plastic. It is more plastic than we ever knew twenty years ago. The brain never stops making new cells- it does slow down with age, but it’s never zero. If you learn new things, you build more connections. If you stop learning, you can maintain through use. If you do nothing, your brain will atrophy just as quickly as a muscle will atrophy if not used. In general, watching televisions has been demonstrated to lead towards brain atrophy due to lack of engagement- whereas video games are interactive and tend to maintain and increase connectivity.

 

STARVATION

 

I want to start here because of a recent conversation where another person was exploring ‘starvation’ as a pathway to increase the ‘hallucination’ potential. Let me be clear. Starvation is a very bad idea in general, and a horrible idea if the goal is to learn a new skill. Twenty percent of the body’s energy consumption goes straight to the brain. You will not make new connections by starving the brain. In the absence of energy, body goes into a new survival mode, and focuses on maintaining existing brain structure. If the brain must cannibalize itself, it’s going to take away unnecessary things fist, like doing math and playing the piano, and focus on survival, acquiring food, catching roaches, whatever it has to do increase survival.

 

Can a brain hallucinate because of starvation? Yeah. As a brain cannibalizes itself to optimize survival functioning, you can get misfiring. It does not mean you will have coherent, meaningful experiences, and you will not be guaranteed lingering experiences that last a lifetime. Consider, we have had people experiencing famine in our lifetimes. Though a population experiencing famine may have a total increase of hallucinations if the famine is severe enough, the majority of people don’t experience hallucinations! And if you do get one, its not likely to be a friendly, helpful thing. It may make the pebbles you eat a little more pleasant to swallow, right before your intestines fall out due to the weight of the rocks you collected.

 

Starvation is a bad, bad thing. There is evidence for reduce caloric intake increasing longevity. There is evidence that American diet is bad, and diets high in fish and vegetables increases longevity. Eskimos probably have the severest diet, meat and fat, no vegetables, and they have like zero heart disease and all their teeth… Go figure.

 

Bottom line, your brain needs food to build new pathways, and needs energy to maintain and operate. Don’t starve.

 

MEDITATION

 

This has been demonstrated time and time again to be good for the brain. Different meditations have different goals. Reaching ‘samadhi,’ a blissful state of concentration that can result in transcendent experience and euphoria is one such goal. Now, let’s do some math. Did you know almost 75 percent of people that take up meditation will quit before going a year in their new practice? Did you know that of those who stick with it, few will maintain a regular practice of 2 daily sessions, of a minimum of 20 minutes each, for more than five years? Did you know, most people that have made it to 20 years of regular meditation practice may or may not reach ‘samadhi.’ Did you know, of those who do reach the target, after 20 years of practice, they only report having experienced 2 to 3 minutes of ‘samadhi?’ 20 years for maybe 2 minutes of bliss. This is why cellphones win out over meditation. Instant gratification without serious effort is the biggest detriment to today’s population.

 

Here’s another way of framing this. Consider all the people that want to play pro-sports. Almost every high school kid ever? Statistically, how many people make it pro? How many have a career that last more than year without injury? How many achieve world record performance, establishing a new bar, much less reaching a previous bar?

 

So, if you’re doing even half ass math, why would anyone expect to sit down to meditate on tulpamancy and immediately have results? Are there people with talent, that can sit down at a harpsichord and spin Mozart without ever practicing? Maybe. I know of one. His name was Mozart. Everyone else takes piano lessons. If they have talent, maybe they will make it 5 or 10 years down the road. Typically, statistically, talented people don’t reach the finish line. One is more likely to see the people with mediocre talent who busted their ass achieving something significant.

 

Discipline and consistency are part of this equation. This, too, makes for healthy brain.

 

SLEEP

 

Did you know sleep is paramount for stimulating new connections and brain growth?  Obstacles to sleep include, but are not limited to, an over-active mind, physical tension, poor diet or poor intake schedule, drug use, that includes alcohol and cigarettes, undiagnosed sleep apnea… Things conducive to sleep, nutrition, exercise, appropriate stimulation, appropriate amounts of sunlight. You can even make sleeping fun by having dream goals, working towards lucid dreams. You sleep 1/3 of your life away- why should that time be unproductive or underutilized.

 

DRUGS

 

Let’s discuss drugs real quick. If you’re an adult, do what you like, but do it informed. If you’re not an adult, don’t do drugs.

 

For those of you who think “I sleep better after drinking.” This is not true. Let me explain why. Imagine you go to the hospital to get an operation. They knock you out. You wake up groggy because they knocked you out! You did not ‘sleep.’

 

The brain has sleep patterns. REM is just one of four stages of sleep. Drinking alcohol, for example, is the equivalent of putting jet fuel in your car. Your car drives at about 2,000 RPMs. If you ran your car at 6,000 RPMS, you will destroy your car. Your car idles at about 800 RPMS. If you put jet fuel in your car, it will now idle at 1,800 rpms. If you have alcohol in your body, your body must burn the ‘jet fuel’ first. If you pass out, you’re not sleeping. Your brain is still running on jet fuel, it is not idling at preferred idle speeds where you get the best sleep, the best REM performance.

 

That was analogy, not an absolute. I am not saying don’t drink ever. I myself might indulge in a glass of wine once a quarter, and I have learned how to sip it and stay in this ideal RPM range where things are pretty nice. If I consume faster, I miss that window and there is no getting it back, and I am done for the night. I drink too rarely to notice if there is a profound effect on my tulpa experiences. I am not interested in exploring this, but I would enjoy hearing other people’s experiences. In terms of brain health, though, whether it be ETOH use or other substances,  moderate to none is likely ideal. I am also incredibly bias due to family of origin substance abuse issues.

 

SPIRITUALITY

 

I think this is necessary component, in terms of brain health, and I am very open to the term being unpacked or defined in a myriad of ways. Maybe it means social connectivity. Statistically, people who belong to a church, or a group, live longer than people who don’t. People who have pets tend to live longer than people who don’t. Couples tend to live longer than people who are single; interestingly, men tend to live longer, and better if they are married, but the converse is not true, women tend to not do as well as men, probably because they are taking care of the men. And still, women statistically out live men.

 

Nature walks. Petting a cat, the caveat being you like cats. Animals can have a profound affect on mood, which affects brain outcomes! I think it really boils down to connections with something bigger than self.

 

LEARNING

 

Learning is not education, though it could be. Learning could be anything. Taking up a new hobby. Trying out a new thing, traveling, reading, playing different games, socializing, taking up art, knitting, or trying to be ambidextrous. Just stepping out of your comfort zone could stretch your brain as you practice adapting to new environments and people.

 

SINGING

 

Not just music, but music may be important in under appreciated ways. Music can lead to increased coherence. Music can activate the right side of the brain, words activate the left, and by singing your worries away brings both hemispheres into focus on lifting a person.

 

LOVE

 

All you need is love… No, it’s not just a cliché song. Why do anything? Love. I am a huge advocate for the idea there are only two emotions: LOVE or FEAR. All positive emotions are derivatives of LOVE. All negative emotions are a derivative of FEAR. This concept didn’t originate with me. I think Rumi hinted at it. ‘A Course in Miracles’ promotes this. You don’t have to agree with it. I wonder, though, if you were to use this formula as a method of analyzing what you do and why you do it, is it because of Love or Fear? The brain locked into a fight or flight response mode is in Fear. Loxy helped me with this formula for reducing all of life’s issues down to this formula ‘fight, flight, or love.’ Consider a moment the Kübler-Ross model, the ‘Five Stages of Grief.’ Denial, Anger, bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. Denial-flight, anger-fight, bargaining-fight, depression-flight… Acceptance-love. Embracing the darkness in us, that’s compassion, that’s love. Accepting there are some things we will have to experience, unpleasant things, this is acceptance-love. How does love help tulpamancy? Are you engaging tulpamancy to avoid something or to enhance something?  It’s probably never just one or the other. Our reasons can be convoluted and complex. Which position is stronger, love or fear? If given a choice, would you prefer the label ‘victim’ or ‘survivor?’ Which taste better? I am open to the idea that loving self means being open to a deeper communication within self. Carl Jung had Philemon. I have Loxy. This feels like love.

 

But think of this way. If you had to meet someone daily, and you had only one choice about that encounter: would you want to meet someone fearful, grumpy, angry, ready to run or fight, or meet someone patient, kind, insightfully observant, thoughtful… loving?

 

TULPAMANCY

 

Is about learning to use all of your brain in interesting ways. Most people don’t sit and think about where and how their personality came to be in charge, much less how they got there at all. We are sculpted by external and internal factors. Bringing a tulpa online, in a manner of expression, is doing what nature did for you over time in a very concentrated method. Making tulpa does not require an equal amount of Earth years as it took to make you. Thank god! No one would engage in tulpamancy if it did. For most people, it to does take effort, energy, thought, consistency, care. The care and love you would demonstrate towards other needs to be applied to yourself. There are no shortcuts. Well, there are. Clearly trauma can make plurals, but that really is a significant departure from the planned outcomes tulpamancy aims for. I don’t recommend trauma.

 

I hope this helpful in general. I look forward to discussing anything here.

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Very nice thread, thank you!! I don't have much to add, other than you've got some broken formatting code in the LOVE section

Hi, I'm one of Lumi's tulpas! I like rain and dancing and dancing in the rain and if there's frogs there too that's bonus points.

I think being happy and having fun makes life worth living, so spreading happiness is my number one goal!

Talk to us? https://community.tulpa.info/thread-ask-lumi-s-tulpas

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