My (Goofy) Reviews of Tulpa's Complete DIY Guide

[Ranger]

Tulpa's guide: https://community.tulpa.info/topic/12963-tulpas-complete-diy-guide-to-tulpamancy/

 

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: What is a Tulpa?

Chapter 2: Sanity

Chapter 3: Mindset

 

More to come in the future!

 

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Once I finish reading and reviewing the entire guide, I'll write an overview of the entire guide here.

 

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Fine, I'll post I guess

 

People keep talking about Tulpa's guide because it's popular. Some people hate it for the sake of hating guides. Some people hate it because there are weird things about the guide and there's bad advice in there. Some people like it. It has a bunch of exercises that you can read and try out. It covers a wide range of topics, so people may be inclined to start here so they don't have to read other guides (that's a very bad idea, you should read more than one guide). I remember talking about Tulpa's guide with a former mentee in the past, and after seeing a beginner bring it up, I decided I should probably review the damn thing. The more I read Tulpa's guide, the more I realize I think it would help the community a lot to give my 2 cents.

 

About me

For those who don't know me- I'm Ranger, a cobud. I don't want to call myself a tulpa, so I'm calling myself a cobud. I'm officially just almost 6 and 1/2 years old, and my system has a member size of 10. I'm a cobud nerd, I'm (currently) unstable, and I have been in the community for a long time. I'm not an expert at all of the skills, nor can I do all of the skills (cough cough visual imposition and parallel processing cough cough).

 

To very briefly sum up my beliefs- Cocreation as a practice is about convincing yourself you have another person in your head, but because brains are weird this works apparently. I believe cobuds are sentient from the start, but (at first) you decide if you cobud exists or not by believing or at least assuming you have a cobud in the first place. Personality forcing is fine, just don't give them negative traits (they don't need your help with that) and if they reject your traits you got to let it go. You should practice narration, said as someone who sucks at narrating. Visualization is a lot like a muscle, you have to practice at least a significant amount every week and you'll get small improvement over time. Switching is a spectrum of multiple experiences and possession is often a weaker version of whatever "switching" is. Imposition is real, but you don't need shrooms or LSD to do it, so don't. I'm not sure if parallel processing actually helps you multitask, but something interesting is happening with that experience. Lucid dreaming is cool, don't ask me how to do it because we haven't really bothered to try. Also Dreamviews the forum still exists.

 

A rapid-fire list of our cocreation skills:

• I'm vocal :D (And so are our other headmates)
• We're bad at chatting with each other for more than 10 minutes ;_;
• Our visualization is okay. Better than most beginners, but probably not impressive given my age.
• We are capable of wonderlanding. In theory. Ignore our trauma problems.
• We have a couple of interesting symbolic measuring tools, like measuring our anxiety. 
• We can switch (my host gets cobudified switching out)
• We can partial possess and have the elusive full-body possession while also being able to switch
• I can't parallel process, but I have studied it quite a bit.
• We can mildly impose touch, sound, taste, and smell. Our visual imposition is abysmal.
• We have accidental lucid dreams once in a blue moon. We don't practice because we need sleep.

Review goals

 

I'm going to break down my reviews chapter by chapter. It's a long guide after all. I'm going to share my thoughts covering the good, bad, and the ugly. And I'm going to have fun with it because nobody's gonna stop me.

I'll do my best to say what other people's opinions are and what the conventional wisdom is on cocreation skills, but I am very opinionated so you should also read other people's posts (in this thread and elsewhere in general) for their opinions.

 

I'm not going to do a GAT-styled review and go over grammar and structure, unless I can't resist cracking a joke or finding something really well written. Keep in mind that this was seen as a potential summer reading project and the GAT 2.0 was so wild people wanted to review this thing all at the same time. It's a lot of work to give a GAT review of a short guide, I'm not going to bother with this one.

Each forum post will cover one chapter at a time. It will make it easier for me to link stuff.

 

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I'll post my first review when I'm ready, I just wanted to get this intro out of the way. Feel free to leave your own reviews, talk about Tulpa's guide, or argue with me in here.

 

Edits:

Spoiler

Note: I'm not going to add chapter publication dates here. I'll jot down a chapter edit here if it's a big change.

 

(7/26/24) How did I mispell "review" in the title??? We're off to a great start ;_;

 

(7/29/24) I added the section where I talk about what cocreation skills we have.

Edited August 2, 2024 by Ranger
Eh screw it I created an edits spoiler.

[Ranger]

Chapter 1: What is a Tulpa? Review

 

Overall, decent information, some of it badly worded or really badly worded. I feel pretty good that Tulpa was pulling from good information and sharing what those sources were talking about, even though some of the sources are missing. I think the bad wording is really a problem in section 1.2 because Tulpa references that section in later parts of the chapter. For a beginner, reading this review and/or asking around what people think is probably a good idea.

 

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Comments and Jokes:

 

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I realized that everything inside your own mind is subjective, and whether I thought my tulpas were fully sentient inter-dimensional beings or trained thought-patterns in my physical brain made no difference to the basis of what I would experience.

— Luminesce

 

@Luminesce I didn't know you were famous! :P

 

Remember when I said this isn't a GAT review? It's starting to feel a lot more like one since I'm trying to fact check stuff anyway ;_;

 

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The most basic theory is that the tulpa is the result of intentional self delusion. The result of which is the appearance of another mind you interact with, but it is actually yourself.

 

In short, some people think cocreators are crazy :P

Usually this belief is held by beginners or outsiders but tends to fade once invested in the practice. I can't speak for what people thought at the time though.

While the citation goes to a forum post of more citations, I can verify that what Tulpa is saying is correct based on at least the Metro article. However, it's worth noting one paper is missing and I can't access the NYT article, so there could be more context I can't see.

 

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1.2. Illusion of Separation

 

Tulpa, what are you talking about ;_;

 

I'm guessing Tulpa is trying to convey two separate ideas:

• Some people believe cocreation is an illusion where you're confusing your own thoughts for the thoughts of someone else.
• There is a belief cobuds are only real if they can parallel process, speak in auditory hallucinations, and don't get your skills and knowledge for free- they can hide their thoughts from you, have an alien sounding mindvoice, maybe they don't know how to talk, etc.

I don't think these ideas actually mesh well together. While both are talking about perceived separation, they are two different concepts- the first is a theory on how cobuds work, the second is a belief about what counts as a real cobud or not. The contradictions don't help.

 

I remember Raptoir talking about how there is only the brain and personalities are illusions of the brain's processing. While his take is uncommon, I find it absolutely fascinating.

 

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1.3. Independent Cognitive Process

 

In short, the theory cobuds are separate people. This theory is the most popular the community has.

 

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Are there therefore neurons that belong to the tulpa and neurons that belong to the host exclusively? Probably not. Trains of thought exist inside an emulated environment in the brain. Basically, the same way a computer can be simulated inside another computer, the brain creates a simulated superbrain, specially designed to house a consciousness. You, your identity and your thoughts cannot be found so easily in the physical brain consequently.

 

I agree with Tulpa, but sadly I can't find a source on the neuron claim. In fairness, there could be discussion on that from the lost article, so idk

 

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Sentience:

 

I like this section, but...

 

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The other type of moral significance is extrinsic. An example of which is sacred objects. Such objects need to be respected out of respect for whatever claims them as sacred. If a tulpa is not sentient, then it is the possession of the host, as part of their mind. Such a tulpa needs to be respected because the host needs to be respected.

 

...not this paragraph. I keep rereading this paragraph and I am struggling to figure out what the point of it is. Sacred objects aren't sentient? You can own sacred objects? I agree cobuds need to be respected, but even if they're not sentient, I think you still respect them? Ughhhh

 

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You may ask. does this happen outside of intentionally created thoughtforms? Yes it does!

 

But but but you can have accidental cobuds ;_; This section is fine otherwise.

 

Citation wise, I feel good about this section too. Source 11 existed and even though I didn't have access to the whole article, I think what Tulpa is saying makes sense. I can't access source 10, so I can't judge that. Shamans do in fact have possession as a spiritual dissociative practice.

 

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This means only the bravest, most freethinking and secure individuals will report that they experience these sorts of things, without some deep probing by the researcher.

 

I'm flattered, but I don't know if that description fits when I suddenly info dump about cocreation at a furry convention or telling one of my classmates from college about cocreation on the first day of school.

 

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This can be seen with imaginary friends in children. Despite an estimated more than 25% of all children having imaginary friends, parents often worry about what they mean, and fear that their children are losing their minds.

 

Nooooooo source 12 is missing ;_;

 

But from googling sources, I found an honors thesis published in 2020 and this brief article from a medical site. I think what Tulpa is sharing matches up with my sources, even though I can't be bothered to look for a more specific source supporting the "dark companions". A lot of imaginary friend sources are dated, which is part of why I'm not hyped to board the research train. However, I think what Tulpa is saying makes sense, as the brief article implied mental health problems or something else going on if imaginary companions are violent or problematic.

 

The sections I didn't mention were fine and I didn't have much to say on those. You can't be angry at Tulpa for saying they don't know how magical aliens work, because nobody does.

Edited July 28, 2024 by Ranger

[Ranger]

Chapter 2: Sanity Review

 

Overall, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

 

I took so much psychic damage reading over this chapter, I was thinking about rage quitting this chapter review and just venting about it. I knew this chapter had problems remembering discussion from the community feedback thread discussing a new guide system, but reading the chapter over to make sure I understood what was going on just started to hurt. It genuinely is psychic pain I felt somehow, I don't know how else to describe it. I was even thinking about starting off with a joke about the title and the image of the medical symbol on the T being "a great start", but I can't even laugh about that.

 

There is some content in this chapter that I think is okay or even worth talking about, but overall just skip this chapter. After this overview, I'll salvage the advice worth your time and break it down.

 

But if you didn't want to read the last two paragraphs of my suffering, TULPA IS NOT A DOCTOR. DON'T STOP YOUR MEDS BECAUSE OF COCREATION.

 

Friendly reminder there's a new guide system with a process to address problematic guides. I didn't move Tulpa's guide to drafts because I didn't feel comfortable skipping the disapproval process and at the time I was a moderator. I did bring it up with the staff, but I don't think it went anywhere. Heck, I'm not sure if I should report it properly now, I did create the new guide system after all...

 

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The advice worth talking about:

 

Tulpa mentions head pressures, but their delivery is iffy at best so I'll just share head pressure advice here: Head pressures can sometimes happen while creating a cobud, and they are often regarded as an early "sign of sentience". They typically feel like a concentrated point being pressed onto your head. My theory is believing in head pressures leads to people getting them, but you can also get headaches from intensive cocreation work. If you're worried about the headaches you get, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. Head pressures shouldn't be super painful, nor should they be worrying for any reason.

 

Tulpa brings up intrusive thoughts- if you're struggling to ignore them and/or they're really bothering you, see a doctor and/or a therapist. We had really bad intrusive thoughts to the extent we even experienced some "evil cobud" sounding bullshit, but surprise surprise, that was caused by our mental health issues.

 

Tulpa brings up the fact cobuds can sometimes help ameliorate mental health conditions, and there is some truth to this. People in the community have reported this from time to time, and Dr. Veissière pointed this out in his article Daring to Hear Voices. However, even this is suspect. Anecdotal reports are just that, and I have lost a lot of respect for Dr. Veissière  after someone pointed out to me this article he wrote. Double checking other stuff he published is something I should do at some point, but I won't be getting around to it anytime soon.

 

There are a few pieces of advice Tulpa offers to those with mental disabilities. Cocreation advice catered to those with disabilities isn't worthless, you'll occasionally see advice like, "I have ADHD and xyz worked for me". Of course, people can't treat their symptoms with cocreation advice, and nobody can guarantee people actually have the mental disabilities they say they have. My take on cocreation with mental disabilities in general is cocreation may not be a good idea, but if you want to practice anyway, having a medical safety net like a therapist, psychiatrist, medical professional, etc., and/or medication to treat symptoms is crucial. In addition, your cobud is not a therapist.

Tulpa's advice for those with OCD seems... suspect? From what I have seen, those who self-report having OCD always seem to have a horrible time because their intrusive thoughts are that unbearable. I sadly can't think of anyone who claims they have OCD and had success in creating a cobud. Maybe Tulpa's "Symbolic Zapping Ritual" or even the "Distraction" exercise might help, but I can't be the one to judge. Definitely a case of "talk to your doctor"

 

On their advice for depression, let me reiterate, A COBUD IS NOT A THERAPIST. Aside from that, this advice may be worthwhile:

 

Spoiler

— Forcing is a game. Make sure it always is. There is an objective, and a victory condition each day. Keep it easy. You want most of your forcing to be bonus round.

 

— Don't end it on a low note. Always end forcing after a good part. Leave yourself wanting more.

 

 

— Don't push hard every day. Don't relax every day. Alternate. This will keep your mind off balance, and prevent moods from setting in.

 

 

— Constantly try new things to keep things fresh.

 

 

— Share a portion of the responsibility with your tulpa. Tell them to follow these same rules.

 

 

— Tulpa, love your host. And entertain them. Or stimulate your host's pleasure centre directly, if you can figure out how. You can also do it indirectly, through games and other fun things.

 

 

— Tulpa, be spontaneous. Be surprising. Come up with ideas for what to do.

 

 

— Tulpa, guard yourself against negative emotions. Relax where you can and get excited when it is not too difficult. Share your positivity, and wave away any argument against being positive.

 

 

— Get help from others. A cheering crowd is great.

 

 

Tulpa's notes on Aphantasia (even though Aphantasia isn't a recognized mental disability) are fine:

 

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Almost all of the techniques used to make tulpas require visualisation to a degree. This is annoying if you cannot visualise anything, but not the end of the world. It merely means you will need to adapt all of the techniques to use other inputs such as mental voice.

 

Form related exercises are the most significant here. The primary value of a form is that it acts as a focus for your tulpa. A focus is a mental object that contains all your thoughts and ideas about your tulpa. If you can't create a form, you will need to find another focus.

 

 

But advice-wise it's lacking. Advice I can think of off the top of my head is using a stuffed animal, an object, or even images can help replace a form and make cocreation more engaging. Instead of wonderlanding in your head, you can try setting up your room as a scene or use a physical medium like LEGOs or a diorama to stage settings and play out scenes. Some also bring up lucid dreaming as a possible solution. There is also advice on how to improve your visualization out there, some people have reported success with stuff like Aphantasia Meow's (now RCDC) guides.

 

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Okay, now for the more specific comments (sorry, no jokes, just suffering):

 

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2.1. History of Tulpas From a Medical Perspective

 

This section is... okay. Ignoring the weird claims and keeping in mind Tulpa is not a doctor, it's basically a brief commentary on how the mental health and medical communities view DID. It's also true that cocreation is not schizophrenia, but saying any more than "cocreation doesn't impair daily life and my cobud doesn't whisper scary shit in my ear I can't ignore" gets iffy.

 

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2.2. Interactions with Psychological Conditions

 

Tulpa is not a doctor. Tulpa is not a doctor. Tulpa is not a doctor.

 

I salvaged the important bits already, most came from this section. The rest is bad.

 

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2.3. Plural Susceptibility

 

Tulpa talks about the obvious and then spitballs ideas for what could make people more susceptible to plurality. None of these theories have any scientific backing. But saying "empathy and creativity might make you more likely to be plural" has to much "no shit" energy to talk about extensively.

 

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2.4. Physical Health Concerns

 

TULPA IS NOT A DOCTOR. TULPA IS NOT A DOCTOR. TULPA IS NOT A DOCTOR.

 

IF YOU'RE STRESSED ABOUT A MEDICAL THING, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.

 

DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR MEDICINE OR REJECT MEDICATION FOR THE SAKE OF COCREATION. YOUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT.

Edited July 29, 2024 by Ranger

[Abvieon]

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I sadly can't think of anyone who claims they have OCD and had success in creating a cobud.

While it's not diagnosed I seem to have some degree of OCD going on, or something similar, and I've had success. Like any condition it has a spectrum of severity. I have the necessary focus for tulpa stuff, it's just I have repetitive doubtful thoughts. My progress is up and down, I have periods of doubting if any of my experiences are real.

[Ranger]

Oh, I didn't know that. Say hi to Alex for me ^^

[Ranger]

  

Chapter 3: Mindset review

 

Overall, it's okay!

 

The chapter has overall alright advice, but there's a spectrum of quality. Some of the advice is really clever, some of it is decent, some of it is a little dated but understandably so (at the time of writing the guide is 7 years old), bits of it are questionable at best, and then you have the chapter 2 armchair therapy dumpster fire advice.

 

If it wasn't for the armchair therapy crap, I would say this is a perfectly fine chapter. Which is a shame because there is good stuff in here.

 

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Comments and there are jokes in here this time!

 

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3.1. Trial and Error

 

So this part had a seemingly strong start. The Mindfulness section, mnhmn, okay decent stuff. The Empathy section, interesting points, good good. And then I got to the Emotional Control section, paragraph 2.

 

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But this raises a question. How do you control your emotions? Aren't emotions the natural response to stuff, good or bad that happens in the real world? Yeah. That's what they were designed to do. To be part of your cognition, your response mechanism when adapting to changing conditions.

 

The problem is this is not a useful perspective, so let us look deeper. What are emotions really? Emotions are a physiological response to stimulus. Err... no. Emotions are a physiological state. They are the results of a response, not the response itself. We can choose a different response, and end up with a different emotion.

 

This can be done several ways. We can intercede at the point where our brain creates a copy of the world inside ourselves. We can change what we see the world to be. We can also intercede later, and change what we feel is an appropriate emotion for a given situation. We can also simply force our emotions to be different, but that requires willpower.

 

Tulpa, you're not a therapist 🤦‍♀️

 

I'm not one either, so I'm going to pull sources that do the talking for me.

 

I looked up articles on emotions, and I was having a hard time figuring out their point due to their bad wording. According to these Very Well articles on types of responses, theories, and control, emotions are a reaction to something, even if experts can't agree on what. A couple of theories suggest your body's fast heart rate or you thinking about why you hate spam calls can cause an emotional experience. However, I'm guessing what Tulpa is talking about is reacting to something emotionally and then stopping to think about the situation, thus changing your final action in response to the event and possibly your feelings too.

 

I say hopefully because...

 

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Let It Go:

 

...this exercise is just invalidating and suppresing your emotions.

 

This also reminds me of stuff in our Dialectical Behavioral Therapy worksheet book on reframing a situation to change our emotions:

 

Spoiler

 

My take on the issue of struggling with setting aside forcing time generally boils down to two things:

• You simply don't have the time
• You're avoiding it because there's something stressful or frustrating about it.

For the former, it's typically recommended to do passive forcing instead of active forcing.

 

For the latter, I think you should ask yourself why you are avoiding forcing and go from there. If you're still not sure, you can ask other cocreators and they can help you rule stuff out. Although generally, it's parrotnoia.

 

All of this being so weird because 

 

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This one is all about effective forcing sessions. Discipline is absolutely required to pull off the regular forcing sessions that are required in the first few months.

 

But so is fun. Fun is mood control. It is what feeds your passion and your obsession. End on a fun note, do not wait until you are both exhausted. If the fun ever leaves your forcing session, you will start missing sessions. You will stop thinking about your tulpa between sessions. Your subconscious will stop working on the problem of your tulpa and stop giving you new ideas and strategies.

 

For this reason, always end on a positive note. If something went wrong, go into overtime for a minute until it feels better. If it is going well, end early. This creates a positive memory.

 

Talk to other tulpamancers. Let their energy infect you, and ask them for ideas for fun things to do while forcing.

 

I think this is a clever take on this problem and advice that could really help people.

 

Also, when reading this part-

 

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We can intercede at the point where our brain creates a copy of the world inside ourselves. We can change what we see the world to be. We can also intercede later, and change what we feel is an appropriate emotion for a given situation. We can also simply force our emotions to be different, but that requires willpower.

 

At one point I confused myself (we had shitty sleep lately) and thought Tulpa was saying to apply this to your cobud, instead of this being you.

 

I then thought about how this could be an interesting personality forcing tool. As you're getting to understand your cobud's personality, you can simulate situations and see what emotional reactions make sense given what you know about them. This is personality forcing because you're basically character sculpting, you're setting expectations for how they will react to things. Which is weird because I don't see Tulpa mentioning this in their personality forcing chapter.

 

Oh, and the Connections section is fine but uh

 

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I also recommend reading something new tulpa related every day until you can't stop thinking about your tulpa anymore. Learn about every possible aspect of tulpas, and then things related to tulpas. Read scientific journals about tulpas, and chat about tulpas, and theorise about tulpas.

 

I'm a cobud nerd, but I wouldn't ask that of anyone else. I'm sitting here hoping people read at least 2 guides, I think recommending doing the deep dive is pretty wild. Heck, I bet a bunch of people reading your guide are doing so hoping they don't have to.

 

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3.2. Trust and Control

 

To this entire part, I say: yes.

 

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3.3. Discipline and Fun

 

Good part, good advice, but erm um

 

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This one is all about effective forcing sessions. Discipline is absolutely required to pull off the regular forcing sessions that are required in the first few months.

 

I mean, you don't have to do long forcing sessions (see my comments on scheduling). And does it require discipline if it's fun? Fun and discipline are about as compatible as oil and water...

 

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Obsession:

 

Look 56i, it's you! (If you get this joke, hiiiii!)

 

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Scheduling:

 

I can yak "it's not required, brah", but at this point this is just my disagreement on Tulpa's approach. There's nothing wrong with scheduling forcing times (or this section), especially if it helps you make progress.

 

My gut instinct to go "brah you don't have to do this, brah" comes from the guide's tone saying you "have to" do xyz. You really don't, and I wonder if that's part of why people get cranky about guides- people have to remind others guides are suggestions, not hard set rules.

 

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Knots and leashes:

 

Save your teenage brain rot for later where things actually get spicy.

 

I think this is good advice and I don't think it gets brought up enough.

 

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3.4. Deciding

 

This part comes with surprises!

 

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Have a good look over chapter 2, Sanity. It has a section about interaction with mental conditions, if you have any.

 

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

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These are things your average tulpamancer wants you to think about before making your final decision:

 

I agree with the second and third points, but not the first one.

 

I do think anticipating this will take awhile and you will need to invest time into cocreation is important, I just disagree on the militaristic every day forcing approach. Again, might work for some, but not for most in my experience.

 

On the 3 months - 1 year thing: I agree with Tulpa, but with an important consideration- I believe Tulpa is correct that a host being able to effortlessly distinguish themself from their cobud can take that long. BUT you can have a cobud hopping around and singing day 1. Tulpa doesn't clarify this, and I'm spitting in the wind, so who knows if that's what they're getting at or not. Or they never believed, assuming they knew, a day 1 vocal cobud existed.

 

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The wrong reasons to make a tulpa:

 

Okay I like this section but a couple of notes:

 

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Are you making a tulpa for sex? This is a moral question. Sex requires consent of both parties to be ethical. Consent simply cannot be guaranteed in any creature given free will. If you don't get what you want, the disappointment is going to taint your relationship. Also, sex is gross, so there is a taboo in the community.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

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Is there a wrong reason to make a tulpa? Not really. Though, if you go into this with expectations of stuff you will get out of it, you could be disappointed. And that's terrible. Still, there are three things to consider.

 

I more agree with Tulpa than I do with most other people on this. I think every motivation for creating a cobud is inherently selfish, but as long as you want your cobud regardless it doesn't really matter. But if you think cobuds can cure mental health or something like that, then uh sorry pal. Apologies for whoever the fuck showed you that snake oil, and if you're here because of that, well uh wow, you're well read, how the fuck did you get to my review and believe that bullshit???
 

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Effects of neglect:
Are largely unknown.

 

Fair enough, section over.

 

Joking aside, this is a very neutral stance on dissipation that I think is perfectly fine. People get uncomfortable when talking about dissipation, which is why I'm kind of obnoxious about it because having a healthy mindset about it is really important.

 

The main difference between my take and Tulpa's is if you don't want your cobud, you should do dissipation. An unwanted cobud will just slowly rot in the back and be stuck as a likely voiceless zombie until they're forgotten about. At the very least, talk to them about what's going on, listen to them, say good bye, and then move on. No crazy wacko murder symbolism or any of that.

 

As for neglect- people eventually figured out that you can forget about your cobud and then like 5 years later revive them and get back to where you left off. Also, while a cobud can sometimes lose progress in stasis, particularly if their sense of self is under-developed. But it doesn't take much forcing time to catch them up- I'm talking minutes, an hour tops.

 

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3.5. Exercises

 

Oh boy, here we go!

 

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Willpower:

[...]

Special note:
Fordaplot had this to say about this exercise: “I do think that your cookie willpower exercise is dumb; there are much better ways to train discipline and willpower that actually get stuff done. Adopting a habit of exercise is shown to be one of the best willpower trainers, and it also enhances your health.”

 

He he he he he

 

Also Fordaplot *has cold shiver down spine*.

 

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Self Awareness:

 

Good exercise, I second not walking in front of cars.

 

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Centring:

 

This is neat. I don't do mediation stuff, it's not really my wheelhouse. I have mental health issues that ruined this exercise for me, so uh my experience with this is not valuable for the purposes of this review.

 

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Meditation:

 

Seems legit, then again meditation isn't really my wheelhouse. I second not using a real candle flame, but staring at a screen for long periods of time isn't a great idea either, especially if you're doing it intensely.

 

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Subconscious Communion:

 

Stars, my headmate who sees himself as a collection of representatives of our mind, does not like this exercise. Mostly because your unconscious mind is not stupid- Stars pointed out that if it was, how is it able to absorb information and process it for you? That and your unconscious mind is also you, so...

 

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For us, we simply personify our subconsciouses, as red headed hot demon girls.

 

No, Stars is not a bunch of red headed hot demon girls. He is a group of androids and some of them have funny hats ^^

 

This is something we have thought about making as part of a guide actually, but not for a good while. If you can salvage anything from this section great, but it seems like pretty much the mindset of you can communicate is the most important step to take. The rest of it may end up being personalized anyway- you have to poke around (without hurting yourself) and explore.

[Ranger]

I decided I'm not going to continue working on this project. If you have questions, feel free to DM me.