Hello all!
If you’re reading this (and you’re not already part of the community!),
chances are that somebody in your life has mentioned therians, therianthropy, or otherkin to you. Perhaps a friend, a loved one, your child, or maybe you heard about it in the media.
Either way, I want to briefly thank you. The fact that you’ve found this post means that you are open to learning, and haven’t written therianthropy off as a fake phenomena or a bunch of loonies.
In this guide I will try to provide an introduction into the concept of therianthropy — common misconceptions, and what might cause someone to identify as a therian — from the perspective of a former skeptic of the community.
A lot of topics are already covered on the
main therianguide website, but I would like to make some additional points.
(I will mostly be using the term therian/therianthropy, but the majority of these points also apply to the otherkin / fictionkin community as well).
A small tidbit of info about the person writing this:
Hello, I go by FernFox on TG! I am an adult, of sound mind, and I am a former skeptic of the therian and otherkin community, who now identifies as a therian after educating themself and evaluating their own experiences. I have had plenty of therapy (mostly for unrelated mood disorders), as well as having a large interest in psychology. I am not a staff member of this website, and have no financial incentive in writing this; I’m simply someone who wants to help dispel common myths and provide peace of mind for those who may be concerned about a loved one identifying as one of these things!
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“Is therianthropy a cult / religion / spirituality?”
This is definitely one of the most common misconceptions! When you see terms like ‘shifting’, ‘awakened’, and talk of ‘astral planes’, it can definitely give the wrong impression.
However, modern therianthropy / otherkin is NOT defined by any religious or spiritual beliefs.
There are certainly therians who believe in spiritual reasons for their experiences, but this is not universal and (I would say) not even the majority of the community in the current day. Most modern therians believe in, or at least acknowledge, psychological reasons as a cause for their therianthropy — such as a coping mechanism, imprinting on animals, and responses to trauma. The current accepted definition is as such this:
Quote:“A person who experiences being and identifies as a non-human animal on an integral, personal level."
"Someone who experiences animalistic traits.”
People who identify as therians come from all manner of backgrounds, faiths, religions, and non-religions. There are no core beliefs, structures, world-views, or rituals. The one thing that connects therians or otherkin, is feeling in some way non-human or ‘other’.
The therian community therefore exists in the same way as any other group or interest, such as folks who enjoy fishing, or folks who are home-carers; a group of individuals who connect over a shared experience.
“If therianthropy isn’t inherently spiritual, then why are spiritual terms used?”
The use of ‘spiritual’ terms such as awakening and shifting mostly derive from older (now-defunct) online communities dedicated to therianthropy. In the past, it was thought by many that therianthropy was inherently connected to a spiritual experience; such as the concept of misplaced souls or past lives. However, in the modern day, this is only a part of the community, and not a necessary part of claiming the identity.
There are many reasons as to why these terms are still used; from habit and nostalgia, to differentiating those who are therians from those who are out to mock them; but ultimately they help more accurately describe their experiences for many people, and therefore help others more easily connect to those who feel similarly— even if for them, therianthropy is not spiritual.
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“Is therianthropy a mental illness or a symptom of mental illness?”
Therianthropy is not a mental illness, nor a symptom of one. There are likely millions of people out there who behave animalistically, or identify as non-human on some level, whilst living completely normal and functioning lives— never thinking to question their identity! Does this mean they are all therians? Not necessarily— that is because this isn’t an illness, or researched phenomena with set criteria. It is an identity that someone chooses for themselves based on their experience and sharing the same thoughts/feelings as others in this community.
With that said, there is certainly an overlap between those who identify as a therian/otherkin, and those with mental illness or past trauma. But, this is correlation; not causation. People with mental health problems are more likely to look for answers or solutions to how they are feeling, and are therefore more likely to stumble across the concept of therianthropy and identify with it. A reaction to trauma is also one of the many potential theories put forth as to why therianthropy might ‘develop’, (though many therians feel as if they have always had this connection from birth).
“Is therianthropy a coping mechanism, then?”
Maybe. This is one of the many theories that people put forth to explain the feelings of therianthropy. However, there are plenty of therians who have no mental or emotional difficulties whatsoever, and simply feel as if being non-human this is an integral part of their identity. This forum in particular is home to a good number of older therians— with jobs, families, and a stable home life! For many, the concept of therianthropy goes deeper than that of a coping mechanism--it could almost be described as a 'developmental adaptation' in a similar way that we developed lungs to 'cope' with air. It's not something that is actively engaged in, but rather something that therians have always felt is there.
Regardless of whether it is or isn’t a coping mechanism, (and your beliefs on the matter!), it’s important to take anyone questioning therianthropy seriously. Asking them why they feel non-human is a great way to connect with them and learn the unique reasons why they feel they are a therian. It may be a passing phase, or it may be a core part of their belief system. Either way, we’re all humans (in body at least!), and deserve equal respect.
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“Do therians think they are literally animals?"
"Do therians think they can transform into an animal?”
No*. The vast, vast majority of therians know and accept that they are human in body, and that transforming (also known in the community as physical shifting or p-shifting) is impossible. Therians are not delusional, and can separate fact from fiction, as well as separate mental phenomena from what is physically happening with their bodies.
Within the community, we often refer to certain animalistic experiences as ‘shifting’ — an example would be ‘phantom shifting’, where one feels that they have the features or limbs of the animal they identify as. Almost all therians will be able to tell you that although we may feel such sensations, they are almost certainly limited to our minds (or soul/spirit, in the case of more spiritual therians)!
*With that said, there may be a tiny minority out there who express clinical delusions and claim the therian label. They are not any more indicative of the therian community than murderers are indicative of those with depression! If a therian is willing to discuss with you about why they feel the way they do, chances are that they have a perfectly sound mind, and should be taken seriously.
“Should I suggest my therian friend/partner/child seek therapy?”
When considering this question, I’d invite you to think about other symptoms or life occurrences your loved one may be experiencing aside from therianthropy. Try to separate this specific experience from other ‘symptoms’. Feeling non-human is not necessarily a symptom of mental illness, and therefore the answer would thoroughly depend on whether other life factors may have contributed to such a belief.
Ultimately, you should definitely speak to the person and get their view before making any recommendations or decisions on their behalf (if possible and appropriate). Chances are, if they are of sound mind, they will have no problem explaining the reasons behind why they think they are therian!
“What are some possible explanations of therianthropy?”
There are many theories! You can hear the takes of other therians right here on the forums, but here are just a small selection of reasons someone may feel that they are at their core, non-human, and express non-human behaviours.
. A deep childhood connection to an animal— also known as ‘imprinting’.
. A reaction or adaptation to trauma.
. Neurodivergency — Simply the way the brain is wired.
. Feeling ostracised by humans over an extended period, and therefore more ‘animal’ than ‘human’.
. Deeply relating to, or connecting with, a certain animal species.
More spiritual takes include:
. Reincarnation / Feeling that you were an animal in your previous life.
. A non-human soul that was mistakenly placed in a human body.
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“I’m still not convinced.”
Where to go from here.
Ultimately, I understand that the concept of a physical human, feeling like a non-human, can be hard to grasp. However, even if you still believe that therianthropy is a result of mental illness, or a phase, I’d invite you to consider how you would talk to someone with another kind of mental illness, or perhaps a different religion; would you tell someone with hallucinations that they are crazy or unintelligent? … Hopefully not! Would you tell someone who believes in angels that their beliefs are stupid and unfounded? … Again, I hope not!
All in all, I think it’s important that we all have empathy and compassion for one another. What you believe does not change the very real, lived-in experience of someone else. So long as someone’s beliefs is not hurting themselves or others, hopefully we can all agree that there is little harm in it!
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If you’ve gotten this far - thankyou! I hope that you have been able to find something useful or interesting in this guide. Remember that everything written here is solely the opinion, research, and experience of one person: people with the same therian experience as me may disagree, and that's to be expected with something as personal as someone's identity.
Regardless, I’ve tried to provide a thoughtful and compassionate view from the perspective of somebody who, for a long time, suppressed their experiences and refused to acknowledge therianthropy as a result of outdated beliefs. Furthermore, I will try to update with other Q&A’s as they are provided to me, and also update existing answers as more up-to-date information is provided!
If you have further questions, the therian-guide forums is a great place to ask questions and hear from the lived-in experiences of many different kinds of therian, otherkin, and otherhearted people. Contrary to belief, you don’t have to be a therian or questioning therian to join! — The sign-up process is solely there to keep trolls and those who might otherwise be here just to upset others out. So long as you are open-minded and respectful, your questions will be answered!
And of course, google is always your friend.
- FernFox
To members of the TG community who will definitely read this:
I promise, this guide is written solely with love and good intentions!
If you have other opinions, or anything you would like to add, please do comment them; I'll happily change any aspect of this guide if anything is incorrect or outdated.
I would also like to add that although I claim to have been a skeptic, I have never bashed on or trolled the community. Rather, I simply avoided it because I didn't think it was applicable to me due to the aforementioned misconceptions (despite having always felt very non-human). My hope here is that even one wayward mom with a therian child worried that they may have gotten involved in something dangerous, reads this and is reassured that their kid is still probably normal... Just a smidgen odd!
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