NB: "Tulpa" is not actually a verb. Also, "they" here is used as singular.

This post is intended to be a 'start here' for aspiring tulpaforcers. It outlines the creation process in rough, and if you want more detail on any aspect then look for a guide on it. As with any other guide, you don't have to follow it; there are alternatives. Explanations of the terms used can be found in the Glossary; glossed terms are italicised on their first use.


What to expect
Expect a tulpa at the end of it. They will talk to you in your head autonomously and all that, much like an imaginary friend with a mind of its own (i.e., an imaginary friend as portrayed in media). The process to a vocal tulpa can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, and to imposition usually longer.




Pre-sentience

There are three main steps here, two of which are optional. These two are creating your tulpa's form and personality, and are usually done in forcing sessions where you sit down and focus entirely on the task at hand:

Form
This involves visualising your tulpa. Decide how they should look and then practice picturing them in your head until your visualisation of them is fairly clear and you can easily conjure up their image. Most people do this step here but it is not necessary. A tulpa can exist without a form, and you can give them a new form at any time.
Most of the useful guides for this are labeled "visualization".

Personality
This involves creating your tulpa's personality. Most methods involve picking certain traits that you want your tulpa to have and describing them to yourself or your tulpa; you can also use symbolism, e.g., imagining your tulpa as an orb and seeing it absorb traits. Most tulpas will deviate from their personality if you give them one. If you do not, like many other people, your tulpa will gain a personality by itself.

And, most importantly:

Attention
This involves giving your tulpa attention. It is highly recommended that you give your tulpa attention in some way, the most popular being narration. Narration is constantly talking to your tulpa throughout the day, although you can talk to them within forcing sessions too. You should talk to them as though they were already sentient.
When you start narration is up to you. Some start it when they start the creation process, others when they've done form and personality, or anywhere in between. Whenever you start, you should continue until your tulpa is fluent in talking to you (fluency). The time this takes varies widely, so be patient if it doesn't come quickly.


If you have finished form or personality before your tulpa is fluent, you may want to keep practicing visualising them, or just spend forcing sessions talking to them and being with them. You might want to create a wonderland to do this in.

At some point along the way to speech you might experience something like your tulpa trying to communicate with you using some method other than words, such as an emotional response. That's good, but it's not uncommon for such things to not happen so don't worry if it doesn't.


Post-sentience

So now your tulpa is talking to you. If they can't talk very well then continue giving them lots of attention. If they can, give it anyway. Tulpas love attention.

There are lots of things you can do with your new tulpa. Aside from just having one, you can learn to see them via hallucination (imposition), have them learn to control your body (possession), and 'trade places' with them (switching).


Imposition

Methods vary here, so do your own research beyond this post and find a method that you like the looks of.

An outline of a common process would be practicing open-eye visualisation along with imagining your tulpa being in the real world beside you. The idea is to effectively visualise them all day, as much as possible; in a sense this is similar to narration but with you visualising rather than talking. Keep it consistent, and you will start hallucinating something at some point.

Another method is to get very intimate with your tulpa's form. You feel them up and try to experience them with all of your senses. Given enough contact between you, your experiences of your tulpa will grow more vivid.


Possession

The goal of possession is to let go of your body and allow your tulpa to take control of it in your stead. Mindset is key, the idea of possession being to realise that you can stop controlling your body (and doing so); as such, symbolism may help here.

The process itself is up to you. Relaxing all of your muscles and then concentrating on what feels different instead of what feels similar might help. Your aim on the host's side is to simply relax and let go of your body.

For tulpas, it's nothing more complicated than taking control. It might feel new and different, but that just takes a bit of getting used to. As with the host symbolism can help, as can distraction from what is normal.


Switching

Switching is very much aided by a firm grip of possession. Not too dissimilar from possession, the idea is for you to let go of the body's senses as well as control. Having done this, you are free to engage imaginary experiences and such.

As may be obvious, this shouldn't be attempted unless your tulpa has a good level of control over the body. Doing so without this would be irresponsible and potentially dangerous to both of you.