The difference between spiritual and psychological theriatropy

Hello everyone, I have been wondering for a long time what the difference between a spiritual connection and a psychic connection actually is. Do different shifts have different connections or does it not affect shifts at all? Does anyone have an answer? Please try to substantiate with experience.


Otherwise, my position as a psychological therian is:
I'm a therian via a brain-based connection. I have the instincts, feelings, emotions and behaviors of my therotype. I believe that the psychic connection goes through the brain and thus affects the "human/therian" in things that are controlled or subject to the brain. I have never had astral shifts, which I believe is related to spirit travel. Perhaps, in my opinion, the feeling of the soul in the wrong body is also related to the spiritual connection. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm new to these things and I don't know much about this topic. So for newbies (like me) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL THERIANTROPHY? How do I know if I'm a spiritual or psychological therian and what's the difference?

I would really appreciate the answers, however they will vary from therian to therian. Any philosophical thoughts and debates are most welcome. Please feel free to write any opinion here. This thread should mainly serve to broaden the horizons of both new therians, confused by this, who are in the questioning phase (myself included) and somewhat older therians (no offense intended).

Sorry for such a long essay
Have a nice rest of the day/night

I’m a mostly spiritual otherkin because I have a past life and visions and a spiritual “gut feeling” about my kintype (as well as instincts from the psychological side). Also it’s only something I have because of my “core” being a cosmic spirit which inhabited that body in the past.

Psychological and spiritual therians are wildly different, but it's possible for one to be both.


As goes, psychological takes on a more psychological aspect of why one is therian. Think things like imprinting, being born that way, or trauma. These are things that involve the way our body and brain is structured and provides a explanation through our own makeup.


As for spiritual therianthropy, we believe we are therian due to spiritual reasoning. Some of us believe in body misplacement (see soul shapes), walk ins, or non-human aligning souls. We believe we are therian due to reasons usually beyond us, and have superstitious beliefs for the most part.

I will tell a story. There was a wolf who existed maybe 100 years ago, I don't know exactly. This individual died tragically and became a ghost haunting the woods. When I was in these woods the ghost got inside of my mind and became a part of me. I was changed after that night. I used to “see” (in my mind's eye) my solemn friend walking beside me.

I've since found it more pragmatic for me to rely on psychology/biology to explain my experiences. The “ghost” (metaphorically) got inside of my body and I felt like rotting death, I felt sick. I realized the dead ghost wolf was me all along. I explain my experiences as effects of dissociative disorder. It is deeply meaningful to me nevertheless and comes back to spiritual thoughts about the nature of consciousness and other things.

I cannot speak for anyone else here, but the reason I consider myself a spiritual therian is I always looked at it as a conscience and used it to determine my choices in life and draw inspiration from and connect with the natural world.

Integrating that deeper innate fox is easier to do in a metaphysical sense, although I understand the psychological mechanisms as well. I consider it a spiritual experience because it made my life more fulfilling, even when I didn't understand or even want it.

I always say this. I find the separation between the 2 to be unnecessary.

In my thought process they are intwined. For example, the wolf instincts or mental shifts, are of a spiritual origin, but simultaneously have psychological effects. For me psychology is merely the effect, the symptom, but not the cause. Looking at both creates a holistic picture of self.

(2024-04-02 17:21)Blood Bloom Wrote:  WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL THERIANTROPHY? How do I know if I'm a spiritual or psychological therian and what's the difference?

Generally: there is no practical difference between spiritual and psychological therianthropy. It's the same experience viewed through difference lenses.

The main distinction is where you believe your therianthropic traits came from: Do you believe it comes from a psychological adaptation, such as a result of neurodivergency or childhood imprinting? Or do you believe it comes from a spiritual occurrence, such as a soul connection or a past-life experience?

Many people (myself included) believe both theories to be correct, which is why you'll see a good amount of us here listed as both psychological and spiritual therians. Occasionally, you'll see people list one theriotype as a 'psychological' theriotype and another as a 'spiritual' theriotype, if someone feels that their therianthropic experience of an animal is purely the result of one or the other.

There can be some minor differences between the two as a result of the person's worldview and how they incorporate therianthropy into their daily life, but generally when it comes to having shifts, feeling in some way non-human, and experiencing a longing to be another species-- that's the same amongst all therians, regardless of where they believe their experience originates from.

Thank you all for their explanations. So the answer is that there is no difference? It's just the individual and his way of identifying himself? For example, one therian identifies as spiritual because it suits him better. Am I correct?

(2024-04-04 18:24)Blood Bloom Wrote:  Thank you all for their explanations. So the answer is that there is no difference? It's just the individual and his way of identifying himself? For example, one therian identifies as spiritual because it suits him better. Am I correct?

Yes.