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A new research paper was published and today we wanted to review this study and go over some key highlights of this very specific, and important research. It sheds a fascinating light on this specific Plural experience, and it shows that those with a disordered, pathological experience of Plurality can indeed learn from Parogenic Systems and, we believe, also from Plurals with different Plural experiences.
We first want to thank all participants, but especially the Tulpamancy Systems who participated in this study. Your participation helps all of us to find common grounds, things we can learn from each other and hopefully leads to less division within the community.
I want to say and acknowledge that I find that the paper talks in a quite patronising way. Their hypothesis at the start assumes that most Tulpamancers are more prone to delusions than the control group. However, their hypothesis is wrong and instead the study shows that Tulpamancers aren’t more prone to delusions, than the control group. So let’s have a look shall we?!
This study had 243 participants. As far as I understood it, (I wasn’t part of it) they discovered during the research phase that there was an overlap of those with a Tulpamancy experience and those who experience both Tulpamancy and experience ASMR sensations. Calling these individuals who experienced more than one unusual sensory phenomenon, i.e. experience ASMR and Tulpamancy.
Participants with a prior correct or incorrect diagnosis of psychotic disorders were removed from the study. Age and gender varied decently, but disappointingly, as usual, most participants were White, especially in the control group.
Sadly, no DID/OSDD control group was created. The word dissociative isn’t mentioned once in this paper, which is imho a big flaw.
Participants took 3 different tests, they completed the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale, Metacognitions Questionnaire-30, and Brief Core Schema Scales to capture metacognition.
Metacognition was an important topic in this study. Metacognition is an awareness of one’s own thought processes and an understanding of the patterns behind them. Or to put simply, thinking about one’s thinking.
Today, in this article we will focus mostly on the second hypothesis. Please feel free to read the full study for all information and insights.
The following hypothesis were set for this study:
‘’Hypothesis 1: Individuals who experience ASMR or who identify as Tulpamancers will have higher hallucination-proneness (MUSEQ scores) than individuals who do not have these experiences.
Hypothesis 2: Individuals who experience ASMR or who identify as Tulpamancers will have higher delusion-proneness (PDI scores) than individuals who do not have these experiences.
Hypothesis 3: Individuals who experience ASMR or who identify as Tulpamancers will demonstrate better metacognition (higher BCIS self-reflectiveness scores; lower MCQ-30 scores) and more positive self-schemas (high positive and low negative self BCSS) than individuals who do not have these experiences.
Hypothesis 4: Metacognition scores (BCIS self-reflectiveness scale; MCQ-30) and self-schemas (BCSS) will predict hallucination-proneness (MUSEQ scores) and delusion-proneness (PDI scores) in these non-clinical groups.’’
Like I mentioned above, I find it quite patronizing to frame the hypothesis in this way, and so I feel extra thankful to those who participated and proved them wrong:
‘’Results did not support our second hypothesis, as there were no group differences in delusion-proneness. Group mean scores were similar to previously reported, non-clinical samples (Peters et al., 2004). This indicates that, despite an association between hallucination-proneness and delusion-proneness across groups, these group differences are indeed focussed on unusual sensory experiences, rather than other unusual experiences such as delusional ideation.’’
They also demonstrated that ”individuals who experienced more than one unusual sensory phenomenon, i.e. experience ASMR and Tulpamancy, were more hallucination-prone, but were not more prone to delusional thinking.’’
It’s high time we start believing, validating, accepting, respecting and welcoming Tulpamancy Systems and those with other Plural experiences!
Another part of the study points out how clinical groups may be helped by what was learned from the Tulpamancy Systems who participated in this study, which is so valuable! We truly hope the clinical community will continue to listen and learn from Plurals!
‘’Results suggest improving metacognition in clinical groups may help reduce distress related to unusual sensory experiences.’’
And ‘’Results support the suggestion that metacognitive awareness is involved in the experience and processing of unusual sensory experiences, and suggest this may be the mechanism that reduces the distress associated with these experiences.’’
What an amazing research paper, a solid basis for further research! Which we truly hope will take place in a more elaborate setting, including DID/OSDD Systems and those with other types of Plural experiences.
As always, we encourage you and your System to follow your own truth, to soul search, to find words, labels, visions, theories and communities that aren’t only within your values but also match your lived experience and/or long term goals, so that you might find belonging and don’t have to try to fit in.
Thank you for investing the time to read this article. Please, feel free to leave comments or feedback in the comment section.
The Plural Association is the first and only grassroots, volunteer and peer-led nonprofit empowering Plurals. Our works, including resources like this, are only possible because of support from Plurals and our allies.
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Disclaimer: Thank you for reading our peer article; we hope it was empowering, informative and helpful for you and your System. There are as many Plural experiences, as there are Plurals. So not all information on this website might apply to your situation or be helpful to you; please, use caution. We’re not doctors or clinicians and our nonprofit, our work, and this website in no way provide medical advice, nor does it replace therapy or medication in other ways.
About the authors
The Stronghold System are the proud volunteer founders & CEO of The Plural Association Nonprofit. They are from the Netherlands and reside in a 30-something-year-old body, are nonbinary, parents of an amazing child & 3 cats. They got diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder over 10 years ago & also self ID as Plural.
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