(2024-04-09 3:48)○UrLocalSwiftie○ Wrote: I have quite a few questions about therianthropy in my head at this moment. May have more later so ill keep yall updated. Bear with me bc im typing this at 12 A.M. at night. Questions are:
-How can you make yourself shift more on command or get control of the shifting?
-How to shift in general (been struggling with this)
-Does therianthropy have anything to relate with depression and making it worse or impacting it in general? (based off with me it has gotten worse and idk if it is because of it or if its something else like species dysorfaflurfur.) (Idk how to spell rn.)
These are the few questions I can think off of the top of my head. I only have a lot of questions because i am still kinda new to this and the whole therian realm. Only been awakened for about 4 months.
Thank you for taking your time to read and/or reply to this thread and I hope you have an amazing day/night! :3
Hiya! I'm not sure if it's a language barrier thing, but I get the sense from your post that you may have been given some misinformation about therianthropy. I'll do my best to clear up some misconceptions!
1) How can you make yourself shift more on command or get control of the shifting?
Learning to 'shift' more shouldn't really be a goal of therianthropy. Shifting in our case refers to feeling a sudden increase in animalistic behaviours, senses, or phantom sensations, which comes naturally and is a defining characteristic of some therians. However, (as Vrydi said), not all therians experience shifts! There are many, many reasons that one might identify as a therian, and experiencing shifts is just one of them.
There are ways to induce shifts and ways to postpone/dull those feelings, but neither are recommended if you're new to the concept. It's something that's done when you're certain of your identity and are trying to feel more comfortable.
2) How to shift?
Same as above, learning to shift isn't something that can or should be done. It's just a term used to describe something that many therians already experience. Therianthropy isn't a choice after all, but rather an involuntary identity!
3) Does therianthropy have anything to do with depression / making it worse or impacting it in general?
Therianthropy can have an affect on mental health, but the two are not inherently related. In most cases, therianthropy should not be affecting your mental health in a negative way-- it's just something that you are and have always been, and that you learn to accomodate in your life. Species dysphoria can cause feelings of depression, but species dysphoria isn't a 'symptom' of therianthropy, and not every therian experiences it. It's an identity, not a mental illness after all!
I hope that helped! If you have more questions I'll do my best to answer, but I highly recommend taking a look around the forums and reading some of the personal experiences of other therians. Personal experience varies a lot, but there are definitely some key features which are shared amongst all therians!
- Fern