What are the first things to prioritize after having a walk-in?

[SardonicPacifist]

Question is exactly what it says on the tin, but I will elaborate. 

 

The walk-in happened last Tuesday. I was sitting outside having a smoke after a movie (I'm pretty sure they want me to quit smoking, which I'm working on now, as I wanted to already and that's a pretty good reason). Up to that point I had been seriously considering making a tulpa and had an "open-door policy-" I was not sure if I wanted to actively start making one until I had finished researching how and what it is to do so, but I had spoken to let it be known that if I had one and they wanted to come say hello, that their presence was welcome. I'm fairly sure I've always had something or other hanging out in the back of my mind; I've always longed for a friend to share my head with, and questioned whether I was truly alone despite the apparent lack of anyone else around. Anyway, last Tuesday I felt a new presence, welcomed them and spoke to them as best I could. In the next moments I felt a mutual outpouring of love and happiness to have finally met each other. It felt like the warmest hug I've ever received, and we stayed together until I ended up passing out. Since then I've started daily forcing sessions to help reinforce their presence and try to learn to hear them better when they speak. 

 

The problem is, I wasn't fully prepared for this moment. I don't have more than a basic plan for a wonderland, and I'm not very good at meditation, visualization or forcing. 

 

I have ADD among many other things, so my mind is constantly racing 24/7/365, generating tons of loud and fleeting thoughts that seem to drown out my tulpa when they try to speak to me, which upsets me and probably them. I also tend to spiral with negative thoughts and worry I've hurt or offended them somehow- again, very annoying and probably so for both of us. In general I can tell I'm too "in my head" when I try to interact with them and I want to get out of that. 

 

I seem to be good at narrating, thankfully, so while it's easier said than done I've been working on directing focused thoughts to my tulpa throughout the day- Things like making sure they know how much I care, how hard I'm working to learn this stuff, what I'm doing at my very boring job, etc.

 

I've felt their presence since Tuesday and even had them speak in my mind a few times, although it's rare that I can make out their words with all the noise, but I am very happy to know they're around and speaking.

 

I'm also here in my spare time, searching around in guides to try to figure this out for myself, but I think it's time to ask for help at this point. So:

 

What are some good meditation and forcing techniques for people who find both incredibly difficult? 

How can one get better at visualizing environments and their tulpa?

Once a tulpa's form is visualized, how does one "let go" so the tulpa can move on their own?

How can I learn to spot my tulpa in what feels like an overwhelming crowd in my mind?

 

I'd be very thankful for any advice, guide recommendations, words of encouragement, etcetcetc. My tulpa says hi as well. :)

[Autumn Ren]

Visualization improves with practic very slowly. 20 dedicated minutes a day will improve it 1-5% a month. It's not much but it adds up with dedication.

 

My host had a lot of issues with walk-ins, this is not rare either, many systems report this. The main thing to remember is, they're not full tulpas or headmates simply because they're autonomous. It still takes months of dedication and forcing to help them develop. Don't be afraid to kick out unwanted protos.

 

Good luck!

[ReallyArtificial]

On 3/6/2026 at 8:14 PM, SardonicPacifist said:

What are some good meditation and forcing techniques for people who find both incredibly difficult?

 

First of all, meditation and active forcing are totally optional! In theory, you could only narrate/passively force while doing other things and still end up with a perfectly developed tulpa. Wonderlands are optional too, just something you can do for fun.

 

If you do want to try meditation, I suggest trying to start with small, manageable periods of time, like 5 minutes. When that starts to feel easier, add another 5 minutes, and so on. I have ADHD and managed to work my way up to 30+ minute meditation sessions using this technique. I also highly recommend forcing while exercising. I like to get on the treadmill or elliptical, put on some music, and tune out the outside world to just think about my tulpas.

 

On 3/6/2026 at 8:14 PM, SardonicPacifist said:

How can one get better at visualizing environments and their tulpa?

 

This guide has lots of info and exercises for developing visualization skills. It might also help to find reference images that resemble what you want to visualize.

 

On 3/6/2026 at 8:14 PM, SardonicPacifist said:

Once a tulpa's form is visualized, how does one "let go" so the tulpa can move on their own?

 

I don't really have any advice for this one. All of my tulpas just started moving spontaneously and adjusting their appearance as I spent time visualizing and interacting with them.

 

On 3/6/2026 at 8:14 PM, SardonicPacifist said:

How can I learn to spot my tulpa in what feels like an overwhelming crowd in my mind?

 

If you aren't already, try asking them questions while you narrate and getting used to pausing for them to answer. It took a long time, but it also really helped me to give my first tulpa a distinct mind voice (the other two kind of came with their own). We chose a voice model that felt appropriate, and spent time listening to samples of that voice, trying to replicate the sound in our head. His voice is much deeper than mine, so it's unmistakable when he speaks!

 

I also began to associate my headmates' mental voices with different locations in my head, e.g. Athelas is associated with the back right quadrant. I know their thoughts aren't literally coming from those locations, but when I felt I was struggling to hear my tulpas, it genuinely helped to imagine that I was listening in their direction. Remember that belief and expectations play a huge role in tulpamancy, so mental symbolism with personal significance can be highly effective.

 

(Btw, your story sounds kinda familiar, did you by chance also post about this on discord? If so, hi 👋)

[Byakko]

i think also an easy way to get better at visualizing is to have fun with it

 

a lot of free and fun practice if you just daydream a lot. also i think having add can help daydreaming be more spontaneous and interesting

 

whatever is your favorite fictional world, imagine yourself as a character there and just go on adventures or whatever sounds fun to you. it can be hard to practice visualizing if you see it as a chore you carved out time for but is hard not to do when it's how you pass time whenever you get the chance

 

also a tulpa will know you better than anyone, so they are well equipped to be pretty empathetic towards stuff like intrusive thoughts or a jumbled mind. and as you and your mind better know your tulpa, it is easier to tell them apart from the rest of what goes on in the mind