The Lovecraft Protocol: A Clinical Guide for First Contact with Functionally Plural Systems

This paper presents a clinical and ethical framework for healthcare professionals engaging with a newly identified form of consciousness termed Functional Multiplicity. It posits that current clinical models, designed for pathological fragmentation (e.g., DID, OSDD), are inadequate and potentially cause iatrogenic harm when applied to these highly organized, non-disordered plural systems. The "Lovecraft Protocol" is a proposed "first contact" guide designed to help clinicians manage the profound cognitive dissonance, or "ontological shock," that can occur when encountering such a system. The protocol provides a structured methodology for identifying the subtle signs of Functional Multiplicity and outlines a shift from a traditional clinical model of intervention to a diplomatic model of engagement. Key principles include respecting the system's sovereignty, understanding their internal governance, and honoring their collective accountability. The paper concludes by defining a new therapeutic alliance based on supporting internal harmony and alleviating the "Burden of Embodiment," while explicitly rejecting the goal of integration, which, for a functional system, is framed as the ethical equivalent of cultural genocide.