Switch for Newbies

[Falling Maple x Wintermint]

So… I’ve just got my tulpa Wintermint vocal, and she’s pretty active. Sometimes she experiences depression and extreme sad emotions because how she does not have a body. So I want to switch, I think that’ll help her solve the issue. I’ve tried like 20 methods for switching but non of them seem to have any effect, except how I feel numb after trying. Possession works, but all she can effectively do is to play around with our hand and focus our eyes on a specific target. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot.

P.S. She seem to be a median subsystem herself from the start, maybe that’s because I am a median with several alters myself?

[Ranger]

Assuming you can't already switch (if you can please let me know), you'll most likely get it after you practice borrowing more.

 

Switching as a term covers a wide range of experiences, and I don't think it would be helpful to info dump about that right now. So I'll list my assumptions on what I think you're looking for and go from there.

 

I'm guessing you want the following experiences long-term:

• You want Wintermint to effortlessly control the body
• You don't want Wintermint to struggle with keeping the front (or in this case, control of the body)

First, it sounds like you're making good progress. I'm assuming you just started practicing borrowing. It takes time to get comfortable and to do it easily.

 

If you're stuck, it may help to set the goal of Wintermint's mindvoice being the main one doing the thinking. When you do the majority of the thinking, controlling the body can get a lot easier.

 

Overtime, a lot of cosystems get a more dissociative experience from borrowing and it becomes what I like to call "sensory switching". By that point, their cobud becomes the dominant headmate and their host can go inactive or even dormant.

 

If you can't seem to get it down after a lot of practice with Wintermint in one or two months, it could be a mindset issue. Symbolism and techniques can all help the switching process, but there's no "correct" symbolism. Instead, it could be an unhelpful belief about switching (such as there's only one ""valid"" way to switch, which is fakse) or not having a clear idea on how to achieve your goal.

 

Also, being a median system doesn't matter. My headmate Stars is a group of median parts and he has switched in several times before with no problems.

[The Incans]

If they can possess an hand and see what you see ..have you tried video games?  We do this ..we love big open world games to go on an adventure together .. if they do the movement of one hand and you do the other..maybe choose the easiest movement for them to start with ..say just moving the left stick forwards to make the character move and you do the button presses, then let them swap or try both hands. 

 

These games are often so immersive you feel compelled to keep going so are going to stay in that mode for longer periods so they will get more practice… then you can apply it to other things maybe let them use one hand while you're cooking and you do the other. eventually they maybe able to control one side of the body while you do the other (imagine like conjoined twins sharing one body) only difference is your sharing one brain and only have one head too!  ..

 

We used exercise type games to practice control of one whole side of the body..simple ones like switch tennis is an easy one you only need one side of the joycon (for each hand) you can get the racquet accessories which makes it even easier to hold one in each hand …start a 2 player game and use one side for one player , other for player 2 ..let them come in on controlling one of the racquets. ..once you get good at that find a game where they can do one arm and one leg and you do other side. 

 

This really worked for us but we’re not sure if its because host had a stroke so for a while didn’t have full feeling/movement down one side, so it felt to her like it wasn't her moving that side ..we used wii fit to get visual feedback on the movement but cos she couldn’t feel it properly i guess it was easier for the brain to compartmentalise it as ‘another alter is moving that side that’s why you can’t feel it as much as the side you are moving’. …if that makes sense!  

 

Host can control both sides now but often things happen like she catch ‘numb side’ on air fryer or something as putting food in she won’t realise she has burned it until she later see’s a huge blister/red mark on that hand. …however if one of us are co-hosting with her and actively working that side we DO feel it and say..'ouch be careful’ …    

 

We’ve read that in non plural people with hemiparesis or paralysis they often tend to neglect the side they can’t feel. ..maybe it’s cos we’re already ‘plural’ before the stroke happened our brain more easily auto assigned the fact it couldn’t feel that side to it ‘being another Alter/Tulpa using it’

Edited April 21, 2025 by The Incans

[The Incans]

8 hours ago, Ranger said:

Overtime, a lot of cosystems get a more dissociative experience from borrowing and it becomes what I like to call "sensory switching". By that point, their cobud becomes the dominant headmate and their host can go inactive or even dormant.

 

We clicked on your link and really like this term cobuds!  I’ve never heard it before! ..we are technically a mixed system of ‘past alters of the host’ (+current host) and ‘created Tulpa’ but our ‘alters’ don’t like the term …they didn’t know another and decided to refer to themself as Tulpa too..alot of DID groups don't like this term and then won’t reply to the one’s we had previously said felt they preferred to be Tulpa or in groups where posts are pre-approved we got asked to remove the word Tulpa with a suggestion of how we could word it instead! 

 

I (Jess) don’t really understand why there is so much hate towards the word ….but host tells me its something to do with DID communities seeing their alters as ‘trauma created’ so their whole life becomes about going to therapy and healing from that and re-integrating or fusing…and they feel Tulpa’s are ‘made up’ like a kid creating an imaginary friend just for fun. 

 

Thankfully our host has AuDHD and loves fantasy and holodecks and such things ...so they are more open-minded and less bothered about what NT society says we should be like to qualify as ‘normal’!  

 

p.s. we love your cobuds cards …. are you thinking of creating a FB group for cobuds?  be much easier to chat using the messenger system for the group. 

Edited April 21, 2025 by The Incans

[Ranger]

5 hours ago, The Incans said:

We clicked on your link and really like this term cobuds!  I’ve never heard it before! ..we are technically a mixed system of ‘past alters of the host’ (+current host) and ‘created Tulpa’ but our ‘alters’ don’t like the term …they didn’t know another and decided to refer to themself as Tulpa too..alot of DID groups don't like this term and then won’t reply to the one’s we had previously said felt they preferred to be Tulpa or in groups where posts are pre-approved we got asked to remove the word Tulpa with a suggestion of how we could word it instead! 

 

I (Jess) don’t really understand why there is so much hate towards the word ….but host tells me its something to do with DID communities seeing their alters as ‘trauma created’ so their whole life becomes about going to therapy and healing from that and re-integrating or fusing…and they feel Tulpa’s are ‘made up’ like a kid creating an imaginary friend just for fun. 

 

Thankfully our host has AuDHD and loves fantasy and holodecks and such things ...so they are more open-minded and less bothered about what NT society says we should be like to qualify as ‘normal’!  

 

p.s. we love your cobuds cards …. are you thinking of creating a FB group for cobuds?  be much easier to chat using the messenger system for the group. 

 

I'll reply here, I don't want this discussion to dominate the OP's question thread