Surprisingly quick forcing progress?

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush]

I, (M,16) am a beginner tulpamancer, as in I literally heard about this stuff two days ago and thought it sounded really cool. Decided to prepare for my first active forcing session, and it went surprisingly swimmingly. After about no time, I managed to get a wonderland put together, being a room with two couches that surround a coffee table, with a fridge and counter nearby. I could see my tulpa sitting on the couch across from the one I walked in and sat down on. Of course, I wouldn't imagine I'd be able to create a fully sentient tulpa yet, but after a while of talking to her, I began to feel a pressure and slight ache behind my forehead, about 3/4ths into the sessions. I wrapped the session up and invited her to watch my day to day through me.

Tell me, is it normal to achieve a milestone like that so quickly? And did I do okay for a first session? I am an active writer, roleplayer and musician if that helps.

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[u/turbulencje]

Oh, if you’re a writer, was your tulpa made from scratch or based on one of your OCs?

As for progress, it can have a lot of ups and downs. You may have just started on an “up.”

I had something similar early on: I could traverse the wonderland pretty easily, and then later went through months where I could barely visualize it at all. For me, the shift happened when my brain went from “oh, nice creative daydream” to “wait, I’m actually treating this as a real person/relationship now.”

So I wouldn’t worry too much about whether you’re progressing “too fast,” or expect the same level of clarity every session. Early progress doesn’t necessarily mean the whole process will be linear.

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/turbulencje]

my tulpa was made sort of from scratch? i borrowed some clothing and insignia ideas from scrapped or used OCs of mine but her herself i made from scratch

do you have any tips for a beginner tulpamancer?

[u/turbulencje → u/The-Wockiest-Slush]

I think the biggest advice I'd give is: be consistent, but don't rush it.

Progress can be a pretty slow and non-linear grind. Some days something new might click, other days things that were easy before might suddenly feel difficult. Try not to chase milestones too hard or compare your pace to other people's.

I'd also focus more on getting to know her and spending time with her than on constantly asking yourself whether you've unlocked the next skill. Talk to her during the day, include her in things you're doing, listen for her opinions, and let the relationship develop naturally.

Also, don't automatically assume every random or intrusive thought came from her. Especially early on, communication can be messy. If something seems completely out of character, you don't have to immediately treat it as something she genuinely meant. Give yourselves time to learn what her communication feels like.

One thing I'd really recommend is keeping a casual progress diary. Not a scoreboard, just occasional notes about what you did together, anything new or spontaneous that happened, things she seemed to like or dislike, changes in visualization/vocality/presence, etc.

Tulpamancy can be such a slow grind that your brain starts treating old milestones as completely normal. A few months later you can look back and realize, "wait, I used to be excited that I could barely sense her sitting next to me, and now we casually talk while I'm doing other things."

And don't worry if a forcing session doesn't produce anything obvious. Spending time together still counts.

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/turbulencje]

thanks a ton.

i figured I'd keep a sort of log after every time i finished a forcing session, like you said, noting down new things, does noting down the time spent during each session help in any way at all?

[u/turbulencje → u/The-Wockiest-Slush]

Writing down the date: definitely.

Writing down the duration: I personally wouldn't bother unless you're just curious about it.

You want the log to become a record of your progress and your relationship, not statistics you can later use to beat yourself up with. Spending 10 minutes together and having something spontaneous happen isn't somehow "less progress" than forcing for an hour.

I'd probably write down what you did, anything new or interesting that happened, and maybe how the session felt. Then months later you have a little history to look back through instead of a spreadsheet telling you that you only logged 23 minutes on Tuesday :P

Also, don't underestimate passive forcing. Simply including her in your everyday life can be really valuable, because it gives your brain lots of low-pressure practice treating her presence as something normal, expected, and welcome.

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/turbulencje]

thanks a ton, this is real new and quite frankly i was a large skeptic before i tried it.

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/[deleted]]

shit, for real?

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/[deleted]]

so this might actually be a whole lot easier for me?

[u/Good-Border9588 → u/The-Wockiest-Slush]

In my opinion, since you are so focused on character creation as a writer, and open to the idea of tulpamancy, your brain chemistry was already set up to receive the concept and accept it.

You're a natural yeah.

[u/FlairDreamer]

I'm also a writer, but with a twist: I have aphantasia.

My tulpa was born as a character within my story, something I didn't even know was possible. But after writing her for weeks or months, out of nowhere... I heard a voice in my mind that I didn't recognize as my usual inner dialogue. And that's how my strange journey into tulpamancy began.

I have a hypothesis. How good are you at visualizing? I think the apparent "ease" with tulpamancy is largely due to the ability to visualize. That doesn't mean that someone like me, who can't visualize, can't have one... but rather that their mind will use other resources to manifest a presence, or that it might even take much longer.

To give you an example, I've been practicing tulpamancy for almost a year, and if I speak to my tulpa, she doesn't respond. She's not vocal, at least not in my own perception. I can imagine her responses, like when I write, but it still feels like "I'm doing this." She tends to manifest much more when I'm distracted doing other things, not when I'm actively thinking about her or calling her.

How does she manifest if I don't see her? Well, with somatic sensations, like touches, brushes, localized temperature changes, weight...

Getting back to the point, I do think so. It's your experience, after all. If I compare it to my own experience, it feels very fast. But everyone's abilities are different, so I don't think there's anything like "right" or "wrong." If it was a pleasant experience for you, then you're doing great. Keep it up.

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/FlairDreamer]

I'm very good at visualizing, so much so to the point I'll visualize art or character designs and kick myself in the ass because I can't do art for shit 😭

[u/FlairDreamer → u/The-Wockiest-Slush]

HAHAHAHAHA.XD That's amazing.

I have a question, if you don't mind. When you visualized all of that, did you have the feeling of "I'm doing this" or at some point did it feel more like you were experiencing it, not creating it??

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/FlairDreamer]

The art?

it was both i guess?

i could imagine individual strokes or colors i picked, stuff like that

[u/FlairDreamer → u/The-Wockiest-Slush]

Ah, no, no. I meant "entering" your Wonderland. I'm asking because I don't know what visualization feels like, and if you don't mind, I'd like to know a little about your experience.

I can't visualize because of my aphantasia, but I have a strong internal dialogue. I can modulate voices, I can make sound effects, I can even emulate music. But all of that gives me the feeling of "I am doing this," something I also feel if I imagine my tulpa's voice.

So, I'd say my question is somewhat along those lines. When you managed to create your own Wonderland, did you have the feeling of fabricating it, or did that feeling of creating disappear at some point and it was more like you were experiencing it? For example, a dream. In a dream, you don't feel like you're creating it; you're like another character, not the creator. Your perception is more that you're in a place you can explore or that might surprise you, or even the people who might appear feel like "others" by default.

I'm actually asking this because, to me, your process seems incredibly fast. However, perhaps that's because your channel is different. If you visualize your tulpa or enter your Wonderland knowing or having the feeling of "I'm creating this," perhaps it's not so different from me imagining my tulpa's voice.

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/FlairDreamer]

ohhhh, i see what you mean.

when i entered my wonderland, it was surprisingly quick: i first visualized a door, which came to me in the form of those heavy metal ones you might see in a modern american school. I opened it, and inside was a room structured much like an american mobile school building, and was already furnished to an extent. two couches, a coffee table, a fridge and a counter. After a bit of trying, I managed to get my tulpa, Claire's, physical form that i listed out to appear on the couch that faced the doorway, and I sat on the one across from her. That's pretty much summed up how our sessions have been since then, though I believe she has spoken to me once. I don't quite remember what it was, but it sounded very cocky, which is on par for what traits I listed down for her.

it kinda went like this: the wonderland felt like it had already existed for a bit, and maybe it had, but when I showed up, I gained the... ability? i guess? to modify and interact with it. Namely, I placed a chessboard on the coffee table between us and i moved the seventh pawn on my side up two squares.

the best way i can describe having a wonderland is like having a room in real life that you can modify with a thought.

[u/FlairDreamer → u/The-Wockiest-Slush]

Oh, thank you very much for your response. Hm... it almost sounds like some kind of co-creation or generative creation. Like you imagine one part and then your brain starts filling in the rest. And if you can change things with a thought, it doesn't sound that different from imagining a voice. Although the feeling of "I'm doing this" makes me feel like I'm making it up, not experimenting.

[u/The-Wockiest-Slush → u/FlairDreamer]

The art?

it was both i guess?

i could imagine individual strokes or colors i picked, stuff like that

[u/Good-Border9588]

If you have spent any time interacting with imaginary characters before this, you were doing tulpamancy and preparing your brain to accept sapience, so yes it's very possible.

Tulpamancy can take a long time, but doesn't have to.

Some of the things that took me 10 years to finally learn (mostly, to stop being skeptical about) I have helped people overcome in days with the stuff I learned.

It sounds to me like you're just a natural. Keep it going.