A tulpa is a thought-form—essentially, a being created through concentrated mental focus and belief. The idea is that if you think about something long enough, hard enough, and vividly enough, it can become real. And not just real in your imagination, but independent, capable of thinking and acting on its own.
Some say tulpas start as imaginary friends. Others say they’re more like ghosts or entities that feed off human belief. And then there are the darker theories—the ones that suggest tulpas can turn against their creators.
Where Did Tulpas Come From?
The concept of tulpas originates from Tibetan Buddhism, where they were known as “sprul-pa”, meaning “emanation” or “manifestation.” Tibetan monks believed they could create spiritual beings through intense meditation. These thought-forms would appear as helpers, guides, or sometimes even deities.
But here’s where it gets creepy—some monks claimed their tulpas became too real, acting outside their control. When that happened, they had to be destroyed—which was apparently much harder than creating them.
Western occultists, like Alexandra David-Néel, a French explorer who studied Tibetan mysticism in the early 1900s, claimed to have created a monk-like tulpa that eventually turned monstrous and had to be “unmade.”
Fast forward to modern times, and the internet has turned tulpamancy into its own subculture. Some people claim to have created their own tulpas, treating them like mental companions—while others swear they lost control of what they created.
How Do You Make a Tulpa?
Creating a tulpa (or “tulpamancy“, as it’s sometimes called) is a serious process, and people who claim to have done it warn that once you start, you might not be able to stop. The idea is that you concentrate deeply on your tulpa’s personality, voice, and appearance until it becomes “alive” in your mind.
Here’s a basic breakdown of how tulpamancers say it works:
- Form an Image – Decide what your tulpa looks like. It could be a person, an animal, a creature—anything.
- Develop Their Personality – Imagine their likes, dislikes, how they talk, how they act.
- Talk to Them – Even before they “respond,” start talking to them like they’re real.
- Believe – The more convinced you are that they exist, the more “real” they become.
- Let Them Become Independent – At some point, a tulpa starts thinking for itself, saying things you didn’t expect, even making decisions without your input. That’s when it’s considered “real.”
Some people claim their tulpas start as mental companions, like a second voice in their head. But there are reports of tulpas becoming so strong that people can see or hear them physically, even without wanting to.
Famous Tulpa Stories
Alexandra David-Néel’s Tulpa Gone Wrong
The French explorer claimed she created a small, friendly monk as a companion during her travels. At first, he was helpful, quiet, and obedient. But over time, she noticed something was off—he got thinner, more sinister, and acted on his own. She had to spend months meditating to make him disappear.
The Slender Man as a Tulpa
Some theorists believe the Slender Man legend started as an internet meme but became real due to the sheer number of people believing in him. There are reports of kids seeing him before they even knew who he was. Was he just a story? Or did enough belief bring him to life?
Philip the Ghost (A Manufactured Haunting)
In the 1970s, a group of paranormal researchers in Toronto conducted the Philip Experiment. They created a fake ghost named Philip, giving him a full backstory and personality. Then, during séances, Philip started responding—knocking on tables, moving objects, even answering questions. But Philip was never real… or was he?
Can You Get Rid of a Tulpa?
Here’s the scariest part: once a tulpa is strong enough, it may not want to go away. Some people claim that if a tulpa turns hostile or refuses to disappear, it can haunt the creator forever. Destroying a tulpa requires:
- Ignoring it completely (which is nearly impossible once it’s independent).
- Reprogramming it to be less threatening.
- Spiritual cleansing rituals, if you believe in that kind of thing.
Some tulpamancers say they’ve had to “merge“ with their tulpas—essentially absorbing them back into their consciousness. Others claim their tulpas have faded away on their own… but not before making them regret ever creating them.
Should You Try Making a Tulpa?
I’m gonna be honest—this is not something to mess with lightly. If the stories are even half true, a tulpa could start as a cool mental trick… and turn into something that follows you for life.
Think about it—if the mind is powerful enough to create something real, what else can it do? And what happens when that creation doesn’t want to go away?