Theory of Therianthropy as a Developmental Adaptation to Trauma or Autism

(2021-04-24 22:16)Tdae Wrote:  Humans are instinctive beasts, maybe some more than others. I agree humans' closeness to wolves has something to do with the high number of wolf therians. Do you think the bullying at school influenced your therianthropy?

No, I don't believe so. It was my therianthropy that brought out the bullying mostly. There was one point where the bullying became too much and I did trying to shove my therianthropy away, but it just came back without any help from me.

(2021-04-24 22:52)HoneycombPup Wrote:  To be honest, it does come a bit as a disingenuous assumption that all of us happened to have trauma deep enough to shape us to our core forever from an age where we have no way of proving it. It especially doesnt seem to make a lot of sense when you recognize that a lot of disorders caused by trauma can be treated with therapy, whereas therianthropy cannot be.

Something causes therianthropy, and I don't believe in metaphysical explanations for natural phenomena. I have suggested a mechanism which accounts for the unusual subjective experiences, the feelings of alienation as well as the dysphoria and mental health issues many therians have. If it doesn't fit for you and your therianthropy is better explained as an effect of neurodivergence then this is how it is for you. Many therians are neurotypical and do experience dysphoria, and at the same time claiming the thing causing their dysphoria is not a disorder and they would not want it "treated." This apparent contradiction or paradox suggests to me that therianthropy is an adaption to some kind of adversity, whether it is due to autism or trauma or maybe even living in a world of barbarians who you'd rather not identify with.

I think I became aware of my theriotype before I got abused by the school system (physically and mentally). I never consider it trauma though but sometimes I think I am either a berserker or the fact that my theriotype caused me to have strong m-shifts whenever I got into trouble with one of my peers. I don't really know when I started to have these shifts though or when I believed that I was something other than human (either psychologically or spiritually). Dream shifts came later in life which made me feel more "balanced" in a way once I woke up.

But that's what I think anyway, I think people had it far worse than me (some of them) so I am unable to call it "trauma" but I will call it abuse, which it most definitely was.

That's about it.

@Alliana Trauma is subjective. Sometimes I'm like, "nothing bad ever happened to me so why am I so screwed up..." I wasn't raped, starved or abandoned. "Nothing" did a lot of damage. I feel like I was "programmed" but actually that is a term for what criminals do to their children. I just had a normal dysfunctional family so maybe it's wrong to say I was programmed. It feels like it though at least to a degree.

My theriothropy, the wolf was almost like an accident of chaotic magic to help me find my way out.

I feel Autism, and Aspergers are a "key" to being therian. One part of many to be therian. I don't feel it's a side effect, or trauma therein.

(2021-04-25 14:54)Azi_MexyWolf Wrote:  I feel Autism, and Aspergers are a "key" to being therian. One part of many to be therian. I don't feel it's a side effect, or trauma therein.

I'm not autistic so I can't know what it's like, but it seems like people with autism and trauma have some similar issues. Turns out I'm not the only one who has made this observation. For example:

Quote:It is critical for clinicians to recognize that some features that appear related to autism, such as withdrawal from peers, rigid play and angry outbursts, may be more accurately categorized as PTSD, especially if a child has a known trauma history.

Source

(2021-04-25 5:40)Tdae Wrote:  @Alliana Trauma is subjective. Sometimes I'm like, "nothing bad ever happened to me so why am I so screwed up..." I wasn't raped, starved or abandoned. "Nothing" did a lot of damage. I feel like I was "programmed" but actually that is a term for what criminals do to their children. I just had a normal dysfunctional family so maybe it's wrong to say I was programmed. It feels like it though at least to a degree.

My theriothropy, the wolf was almost like an accident of chaotic magic to help me find my way out.

True, I also had a dysfunctional family (cold mother, yelling father and a brother that wanted me dead) and a bad experience at my elementary school. So maybe it was trauma, after all, I just worry about using the word because other people experienced trauma and I think mine isn't really all that important? Like somehow me mentioning my past makes it seem rather trivial for myself compared to others and somehow I am insulting someone's experience by labeling it as trauma. I dunno, I just....I don't really want to step on anyone's toes, you know?

I am glad your wolf is helping you find your way out though and I am sorry to hear about your family. People who cause trauma really need to die in a fire.

But yeah, that's my explanation.

"I just worry about using the word because other people experienced trauma and I think mine isn't really all that important? Like somehow me mentioning my past makes it seem rather trivial for myself compared to others and somehow I am insulting someone's experience by labeling it as trauma. I dunno, I just....I don't really want to step on anyone's toes, you know?"

This is actually a very common response for some traumatized people, even people who have experienced things that basically amount to long-term torture. Not saying you have to identify what you went through as trauma just putting that here basically.

This makes sense to me, but there are certainly therians that it doesn’t make sense for. I think it’s probably true for some but not all of us.

Take me, for example. I’m autistic, but the only trauma I could possibly have would be super small stuff about having grown up as an undiagnosed autist.

So for me, I feel like my feeling of inhumanity is influenced by my autism. Or maybe vice-verse, if you look at it from a spiritual standpoint.

(2021-08-14 21:48)GreatLakesWolf Wrote:  This makes sense to me, but there are certainly therians that it doesn’t make sense for. I think it’s probably true for some but not all of us.

Take me, for example. I’m autistic, but the only trauma I could possibly have would be super small stuff about having grown up as an undiagnosed autist.

So for me, I feel like my feeling of inhumanity is influenced by my autism. Or maybe vice-verse, if you look at it from a spiritual standpoint.

People with autism and people with developmental trauma have some similar issues and there seems to be some overlap in their experiences. Sometimes children who have been traumatized are mistaken for having autism. But I don't know whether I've even defined trauma so without a definition there is misunderstanding. In this context trauma is defined as a subjectively negative event or series of events which changes the way the brain functions. Living with the effects of autism could be traumatic in itself because of sensory overload, trouble bonding with caregivers, etc. Children who have autism could develop dissociative/imaginative defenses similarly to the way traumatized children might.

Temple Grandin is autistic and she is famous for her ability to see through animal eyes and communicate it. But to my knowledge she is not therian. So yes I do believe people with autism might be more animal like inherently, but those experiences do not necessarily develop into a therian identity.