Should I tell my therapist about my tulpa?

[bunny-boi-lover]

I have an appointment with my psychologist on Monday. It's my first session since creating Edwin. And I'm wondering about whether I should mention him at all. I'm scared that my therapist will view it as being unhealthy, especially since I'm at the point where I prefer Edwin's company over that of another human, and try to make me get rid of him. But I know my therapist is trying to help me with my problems, and I don't want to keep anything from her.

 

So, anyone out there with a tulpa who goes to psychological therapy, do you discuss your tulpa(e) with your therapist?

[Luminesce]

It depends on how you go about it. If you explain the phenomena (maybe direct them to tulpa.info) and your interest in a modest way, it's unlikely they'll "make you get rid of him". But, they might view this as a gateway behavior to unhealthy things like MPD. Just make sure they know this is totally voluntary, under your control, and that your tulpa is friendly and cares for your well-being.

 

I mean, if you don't tell them now and do so later, it might be.. more of a problem. It definitely depends on the person, but therapists are usually pretty accepting. But they also have a job to do. As long as you don't convey tulpamancy in a worrying way it shouldn't be a problem. But they'll likely want updates every once in a while to make sure your tulpa stays harmless.

[sushi]

You can't give yourself DID (MPD) or schizophrenia. I personally wouldn't tell a psychologist, but I've never once heard a bad story about it. It seems like most psychologists are pretty understanding.

[Luminesce]

I believe she said she was diagnosed with DID, or something to that effect. I meant that a psychologist or therapist could mistake practicing tulpamancy as a sign of, I don't know, something unhealthy. Working with what I've been given here.

[sushi]

You're absolutely right, Reisen. I remember that now. Sorry.

 

That might make it even better, actually. You might see it as a sort of healthy outlet. Truddi Chase felt that her headmates made her a better person.

[FallFamily]

Hail:

 

You might find more information on whether this is a good idea or not from the wider plurality community, actually. This is especially the case since you mentioned that you at least used to be (and possibly still are - I don't remember correctly) multiple. Just in case you don't have any place to search, here are some links:

 

• The Layman’s Guide to Multiplicity
  
• Astraea's Web
  
• Healthy Multiplicity
  
• Kinhost - Multiplicity: The Missing Manual
  

 

 

If your therapist knows about your history with being plural (you said you once had a DID diagnosis), then, if they have been good about that, you are probably safe to mention Edwin. Though, you need not use the term "tulpa". In fact, it might be recommendable to not to. Just say you made a headmate, and their name is Edwin. Completely accurate, but not mentioning a term that your therapist could find this place with and get all sorts of ideas, right or wrong. Basically, information control.

 

I am also a long time multiple and have tulpas. I am currently seeing a therapist about plurality issues, specifically to get help in retrieving my sister S, the original person in this body, from the wonderland she is stuck in and almost impossible to reach as well as improve memory sharing between us. He knows that I made Tri, A, and E and in fact commented that Tri and I work as a pretty effective team. I never used the word "tulpa". In fact, I have mostly been sticking to the language that psych people use. Good to know tulpamancy vocabulary, general plurality vocabulary, and therapist DID/DDNOS vocabulary.

 

Just be careful. If you no longer have a DID diagnosis, you could get it back over this, even though it would be incorrect of the therapist to do that (after all, you aren't losing time from switching with each other).

[bunny-boi-lover]

Just be careful. If you no longer have a DID diagnosis, you could get it back over this, even though it would be incorrect of the therapist to do that (after all, you aren't losing time from switching with each other).

 

That would be my main concern, not that it really matters if I did get re-diagnosed with it. I got the diagnosis several times before and no one really did anything about it. Eventually one of my peppier personalities would take over more often and would convince the therapist that I was all better and that therapy wasn't necessary anymore.

 

At this time I don't have fully split personalities (i.e., going by different names or having memory lapses), but my ex has said that according to what he could see physically and astrally I have about seven to ten personalities at any given time. But Edwin and I aren't even at the point of switching, if we even decide to pursue it (he still isn't even all that interested in possession). I'm aware of his existence and he of mine.

 

As far as what everyone else has said, thank you very much for your feedback. I did mention last week in group, the day after first creating Edwin, that I was working on creating a tulpa (I did use that term but said "Think of it as an imaginary friend for adults"), that because of physical pain and depression from the boredom of "real" life that I've found myself retreating more and more to my imagination. My therapist runs group, but I doubt she will even remember me saying all that. She didn't pull me aside afterwards to express any concern or anything. But I don't plan to explain things that way in private therapy.

 

On a similar subject, what does everyone think about telling others, like family and friends, about you tulpa(e)? Do you keep your tupper private or share it with others? My one IRL friend Kaysi knows all about Edwin, and some of the regulars at the game store I volunteer at have learned a little about him (though I'm not sure with them if they really know the extent of his existence). I know for a fact I won't be telling my dad and step-mom because they wouldn't be in the least bit open to the idea.

[sushi]

On a similar subject, what does everyone think about telling others, like family and friends, about you tulpa(e)? Do you keep your tupper private or share it with others?

 

Private 100%. I initially thought about telling a few people, but the risks far outweigh the benefits. I know my girlfriend would hate me for it, because she hated the idea when I brought up tulpas in general, back before I started.

[bunny-boi-lover]

Private 100%. I initially thought about telling a few people, but the risks far outweigh the benefits.

 

For me it's always made the tulpae feel more "real". Back when I had a tulpa named Gaza (I had her on and off for about twelve years), all of my friends knew about her and regularly interacted with her in the same way they did me. I feel like if I keep Edwin private that I risk going too far off the deep end and getting trapped in my own mind. Telling others about him helps ground me a little while making him an integral part of my life and my interactions with others.

[Stevie]

On a similar subject, what does everyone think about telling others, like family and friends, about you tulpa(e)? Do you keep your tupper private or share it with others?

 

For now, my stance is that I don't have to tell people, so I'm not going to. Not only are my buddies made up of guys who like to get drunk and light their farts on fire, but it would be such an off the wall thing for me to suddenly tell people. Maybe if I was a known spiritual type or even like, a known intellectual type, then it wouldn't seem so off the wall, but it would be so far out of left field.

 

The benefits would be nil, and the risk of ending up a pariah is so high. Nuh uh, dude. Not happening. I value my friends and where I'm at right now socially more than I value having everyone know about what is, for me, essentially a private matter.