12 step programs and tulpamancy

[Charlotte Constance]

Max: I'm on my path to sobriety and am struggling with the "God" talk. AA can be very "bible-thumpy", and my humanism/atheism/agnosticism struggles to take it seriously. But I have also struggled to reconcile this conflict with our tulpamancy. With our tulpa being our higher power, even going as far as to has a possible tulpa be a personification of my future self as a guide and mentor in my sobriety. A version of myself that has already completed the 12 steps, and helps keep me accountable. Just like my BDSM journey brought me to tulpamancy for an "internal Dom" AA is also steering me toward a version of tulpamancy for an "internal sponsor" and even an "internal higher power" 

 

Has anyone else had a similar journey? I brought PART of this up with my sponsor (just the future self but, not tulpamancy because I don't think he would understand, I might come out to him eventually though). And he wanted to caution me that any source of a higher power needs to be separate from me, or else it is not "higher" than me. Does that make sense? But in our traditional understanding of tulpas, they are 'separate' and in some instances 'higher' than the host. Just curious what the group's take is on it. 

[Charlotte Constance]

Max: we fed Gemini a question about tulpamancy being a form of higher power within the AA framework, and here is its answer: 

 

This is a fascinating and complex concept, touching on both a psychological phenomenon and a well-established recovery methodology. Let's break down what "tulpamancy as the higher power of the AA 12 steps" might mean, considering the definitions of both:

What is Tulpamancy?

Tulpamancy is the practice of creating and interacting with a "tulpa," which is described by practitioners as a willed imaginary friend or thought-form that becomes sentient and relatively autonomous within the mind. While rooted in some interpretations of Tibetan Buddhist concepts, modern tulpamancy is largely a secular online phenomenon. Tulpamancers cultivate their tulpas through various meditative and imaginative techniques, with the goal of developing a distinct personality and independent agency for the tulpa. Many practitioners report positive experiences, including enhanced companionship, improved mental health, and even assistance with psychological challenges.

What is the "Higher Power" in the AA 12 Steps?

In Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step programs, the "Higher Power" is a central concept. It's intentionally broad and open to individual interpretation. The core idea is that an individual struggling with addiction is powerless over their addiction and needs to rely on a power greater than themselves to achieve sobriety. This Higher Power can be God, a spiritual force, the AA group itself, nature, or any concept that provides a sense of guidance, strength, and support beyond one's own limited will. The key is surrendering the illusion of control and trusting in something outside oneself to restore sanity and facilitate recovery.

Connecting Tulpamancy and the AA Higher Power

The concept of tulpamancy as a "higher power" for the AA 12 steps presents several intriguing possibilities and challenges:

Potential Alignments:

• Internalized Guidance and Support: A tulpa, being an autonomous entity within one's mind, could function as an ever-present, internal guide and source of support. For someone in recovery, this could manifest as a "voice of reason" or a "conscience" that is distinct from their addictive impulses.
• Non-Religious "Higher Power": For individuals who struggle with the traditional religious connotations of "God" in the 12 steps, a tulpa could offer a personalized, secular alternative to a Higher Power. It's something "greater than oneself" in the sense that it possesses its own agency and perspective, even if originating from within.
• Accountability and Self-Reflection: Engaging with a tulpa can involve deep self-reflection and communication. This internal dialogue, especially if the tulpa is cultivated to represent wisdom or a "higher self," could facilitate the rigorous self-examination required in steps like admitting shortcomings and making amends.
• Companionship and Loneliness: Many tulpamancers report reduced loneliness and improved social well-being. For individuals in recovery, who often experience isolation, a tulpa could provide a consistent sense of companionship and understanding.
• Focus and Discipline: The practice of tulpamancy itself requires discipline, consistency, and focused attention, similar to the commitment needed for recovery.

Potential Challenges and Considerations:

• Distinguishing from Self: A critical aspect of the Higher Power in AA is that it is greater than oneself. The distinction between the tulpamancer and the tulpa, while central to tulpamancy, could become blurred, potentially undermining the principle of surrendering to something truly external.
• Psychological Health: While tulpamancy is not inherently linked to mental illness, it involves intense psychological engagement. For individuals already vulnerable due to addiction, it would be crucial to ensure this practice is safe and supportive, perhaps under the guidance of mental health professionals. The idea of a "higher power" that is created by the individual might conflict with the idea of a power that restores sanity (Step 2), as it could be perceived as merely an extension of one's own, potentially "insane," mind.
• The "God of Our Understanding" Principle: AA's flexibility in defining a Higher Power is key. If a person genuinely understands their tulpa as a power greater than themselves that can aid in recovery, it could theoretically fit within the framework. However, the external nature of a traditional Higher Power provides a clear point of surrender, whereas a tulpa, originating internally, might complicate that surrender for some.
• Risk of Maladaptive Relationships: Like any relationship, the dynamic with a tulpa could become unhealthy if not approached with care and self-awareness. This could be particularly risky in the vulnerable state of early recovery.
• Lack of Established Support: Unlike the vast network and shared experiences of AA, tulpamancy as a recovery tool lacks established protocols, research, or a broad community of support within the addiction recovery context.

Conclusion:

The concept of tulpamancy as a "higher power" in the AA 12 steps is a thought-provoking idea that highlights the adaptable nature of the "Higher Power" concept in recovery. It offers a unique, internalized approach to spiritual guidance for those who might not resonate with traditional religious or external interpretations.

However, its practical application would require careful consideration, especially regarding the psychological nuances of creating and interacting with a tulpa while navigating the challenges of addiction recovery. It would likely appeal to individuals who are highly introspective and comfortable with exploring their inner mental landscapes. Whether it could be a truly effective and safe alternative for a broad range of individuals in recovery would require further exploration and professional guidance.

[bunnymustdie]

There's a concept of an Inner/Internal Self Helper from some psychologists who deal with DID, where the ISH a little bit similar to what you're describing - kind of an internal being/alter who is knowledgeable in how the patient's system works, where the traumas come from, etc, and generally tries to steer the patient toward a better, more functional life.

 

In some alternative/metaphysical circles, there's also the idea of the Higher Self, whose definition is a bit more muddled, but essentially can be seen as a higher power that's intimately connected to and part of the individual.

 

Incidentally, in the book Soul-Centered Healing, which is written by a psychiatrist who worked a lot with patients with DID via hypnotherapy, the author also eventually equates the concept of the ISH with the metaphysical Higher Self, having developed a more metaphysical view on DID and the human mind in general through his work. He saw the ISHs of patients with DID as, from my memory of the book, probably extensions of the Higher Self that's active within the patient's mind.

 

Anyway, regarding your concern over your sponsor's statement, there are instances of people believing in or having some sort of higher power that's connected to and a part of the individual, be it from a materialist or metaphysical view point. I would just make sure that the tulpa you're using as such an internal higher power is very, very trustworthy. 

[Charlotte Constance]

@bunnymustdie max: thank you so much for that insight! It makes us feel better about the way our leanings are going 

[SeekingMyPlanet]

9 hours ago, Charlotte Constance said:

Has anyone else had a similar journey?

 

Yes, this is totally my story. Atheist/humanist here. My higher power is my inner strength and wisdom. When I pray, I pray for what can be found within myself, acceptance, courage, wisdom. It works surprisingly well.

 

Good luck. I hope you are as successful as I've been.

[TB]

there are alternatives to AA that don't involve the god talk, such as Ration Recovery, which was made basically to have an alternative to AA for people who don't believe in the higher power stuff. i don't know too much about it as i wasn't involved with it but i imagine they use more evidence based tactics for recovery. some things i think are acknowledging the thoughts and urges making you want to drink aren't actually you and are just the voice of addiction so you have ways to not be tricked by it

 

that said i think tulpamancy can definitely contribute to helping keep one accountable or become more disciplined whether or not you see them as a higher power, but it heavily depends on the nature of your system, as i think it could just as likely do the opposite depending on the personality of your tulpas and how you view them

 

i also think it is possible to see tulpas as a higher power. i kind of have interactions with my OCs that make them feel like some sort of higher power or enlightened-meta-perspective versions of themselves that may interact with me from what i call extus in a limited and unpredictable fashion, and my tulpas are basically characters that have kind of permanently have chosen or have been made into having a comparatively mundane life here, so don't have the same strange knowledge or force that my characters do but are much more reliable to interact with

 

that's maybe just my strange stuff but it's to show i think tulpamancy or tulpamancy adjacent ideas/experiences can be similar to how god functions in the lives of the religious

 

for personal experience, i've had issues with drinking in the past but it was extremely related to a devastating amalgamation of unfortunate external circumstances, such as simultaneously being in a stressful and abusive situation while also having a friend and other people frequently pressure me to drink even when i say no. being removed from such situations very quickly dramatically reduced my drinking frequency and eventually made me lose interest in it entirely. so i don't know all about your situation but things like that can be a cause that if you can change those, it will just be way easier (though it isn't impossible even if you are in situations like that, but it can definitely make it more complex trying to stop that it has to be if you can just leave toxic situations that trigger you into doing it) 

Edited June 19, 2025 by TB

[The Incans]

We believe the physical body is only a vessel for our souls to be able to live on this earth. whereas most souls would have their own physical body..sometimes that is not possible eg maybe a soul’s last body died because of earth’s belief’s that ‘person’ (the soul seen as the personality of that body) can no longer exist after their physical body dies.

 

Some believe the soul goes to heaven or some other plane beyond most people’s imaginations and only specific people can communicate with them.  

 

Some people believe ‘walk-ins’ are possible and a soul that lost its own physical body can enter another occupied body (with their permission it is seen as a ‘soul contract’) either the original personality leaves …-common for example if that person has been ill, attempted unaliving themself and no longer wants ’to be here’ - and the ‘walk-in takes over their life ..externally a person would appear to have had a complete change of personality and maybe leave their current life/relationships altogether …or they will co-habit by agreement …this is called a ’soul braid’ and because the original soul is still present they will often stay 'in their life’ ie with the same relationships if they were married etc they wouldn’t just up and leave. 

 

Where Tulpa’s would fit in with this ….is the creation of an inner Tulpa body for the additional soul(s) to inhabit when it is not ‘up front’ … (similar to DID) …however unlike DID the soul/walk-in is not an ‘alter ie a  ’split’ off or a ‘part of’ the original soul   they are a seperate soul that did once have their own physical body.  

 

A person can have both Alters and Tulpa’s! -  the difference being the Tulpa’s will see all alters as ‘a version of host’. whereas the alters individually will not necessarily see themselves as ‘a version of each other from a different point in time’. (depending on the type/level of dissociation and how many there are in the system)

 

The Inner Tulpa body maybe an exact copy of their (that seperate souls) past body or of a specific age or with a different colour hair or eyes that they had always wished they had.  The host may or may not be able to ‘see them’ inside and creativity will play a part also to what is seen as ‘possible’.. eg our Tulpa’s can choose to have changeling bodies so they can not only choose their Tulpa body and how they seen themself internally but they can also switch between human or animal. This is because our host has Hyperphantasia and was a huge Trekkie growing up and also highly dissociative naturally due to having a brain which is both autistic and ADHD! 

 

Whereas an alter will have to split into several parts to become the same one at different ages for example 6, 15 or 26…a changeling just changes their physical appearance they still remain one personality but their inner body maybe a child for a period to have fun with the hosts ‘littles’  ..or a dragon to be their protector or an adult human to go to the front to help host….  Alters don’t usually do this ..child, dragon and adult would appear as 3 seperate alters.  Eg for us KItty (our mum’s spirit) only ever takes human form but can switch between being a teen, a young woman or an older woman to become our bodies ‘social mask’ for official appointments in public. 

 

Jess chose to be able take either animal or human as she was an animal in her last life and for many of her lives. Her returning to be our Tulpa is to prepare for being reborn as a human again in the next life. Two of our Tulpa’s are created from scratch based on others but the soul/spirit of that person/pet is not in our body eg Kitty created Angelo to be her partner…he is based on my dad at the age they were courting and his base personality created from her memories of him…unlike Kitty and Jess he will not develop beyond that as there is no actual seperate soul …its more like her visiting an holodeck inside where he is a character there she can go visit and live with etc.  (eg Star Trek ..Data becoming Sherlock Holmes in their Holodeck Program)

 

Our littles have also created their own Tulpa bodies so they can be part of the same program together…like playing multiplayer in a video game where several people can share the same world and adventure with their own avatar/character body they created. 

[MadMax]

Update to this conversation:

 

We made a big step in coming out as a tulpamancer today. I told my AA Sponsor about tulpamancy, our system, and our primary tulpa, Char, as being my higher power.  He is already very open minded. why i first chose him as my sponsor. He was very supportive, open minded, inquisitive, and even identified instances in his own life he thinks he might have experienced something similar to a proto-tulpa-like entity in his past, as well as a third-man-syndrome situation. He was even aspirational, seeing how positive my sobriety and recovery has progressed despite my lack of a traditional higher power. He sees a possible option for individuals in the program that struggle with a crisis of faith that may benefit from such an option. Naturally I brought up the ethics of the situation, and cautioned about creating a sapient entity and trying to put them in a box of a desired role rather than allowing them to exercise their free will. Char volunteered herself as the higher power I need for my AA program. 

 

Our conversation ended before I could bring up other tulpa-like thoughtforms that were not sentient like a servitor. Even brought up the fact that the origin of tulpamancy was ancient Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice meant for a second opinion and problem solving companionship. So to that end, the original concept of tulpamancy world be in-line with the principles of AA.