To what extent must you feel animalistic to be a therian?

Hi there! This is a question I’ve been meaning to find the answer to and haven’t found anything… clarifying. The question is, to what extent must you feel animalistic to be a therian?

Is a therian ‘made’ by involuntary experiences like shifts, belief in having an animal soul, or a strong knowing somebody has about the nature of their self? I know therianthropy is a personal identity that people can’t really tell you, so it’s hard to say what’s ’therian’ or not, but I kinda just need somebody to say something detailed on the topic.

I’ve come up with an ambiguous(?) person down below. Tell me if you think this person could count as a therian, or could but probably isn’t, or they are not a therian at all.

A person who has never had shifts. They don’t think much about being an animal. They recognize a certain animal in some, but not all, of their traits. They find comfort/joy in telling themself they are a specific animal and engaging with that part of themselves. They feel no significant disagreement with humanity, but agree with the idea of being that specific animal instead of, or alongside, being human.

This is the specific situation I’ve been thinking of, so it certainly doesn’t cover everything that could be included in this topic. If you want to add in another hypothetical/example, please do! Any discussion on this would be greatly appreciated, because this whole thing is a bit confusing.

Barkbark,

Personal disclaimer:

I am by no means an expert on therianthropy at all, but here are my own personal thoughts and beliefs:

When it comes to therianthropy, the word "made" or "become" is something that I am personally irritated by, and I don't speak for the community as a whole, but when it gets right down to it, one either is or is not a therian.

To specify, a spiritual therian is one who may have had experiences that are spiritual in nature, such as dreams, possible memories of a prior life, or an intrinsic belief outside of one who only has the mindset of an animal.

A psychological therian is one who, and this is something I am not quite familiar with due to my identity being based more so on the spiritual side, but from what I understand it to be incorporates animalistic instincts and behaviors into their brain (a sort of rewiring) from something such as trauma, a very highly impactful event, or even something such as neurodivergence, like those with autism or a mental illness (Note: I am not familiar with the full range of autism or the impacts it has on a person other than from what I've seen or heard, and I have heard from some that it can also fall under the mental illness category, however I don't know enough about it to include it jn mental illness, so the two categories are separated here).

Again, since I am by no means someone who is an expert on therianthropy in general, these are all things I know and understand them to be, as I have heard, read, or researched (much of it out of my own curiosity).

Breaking things down though, outside of these two specific areas, there's a lot of grey area when it comes to things like terms, experiences, and even acceptance.

If I were you, the easiest way to understand therianthropy is to look at and reflect on my own view(s), ask myself "what are my experiences", and then consult with the community for further information.

For myself specifically, I am a Spiritual Silver Fox Therian.

I am certain of this because of my own experiences that I have had, and I want to note that the best way to find out about yourself and whether you may be a therian is to share your personal experiences, and see if those fall under a category of general community agreeance and acceptance. To be clear, it's the experiences I am talking about, not acceptance of you as a person.

If you have had an experience such as something like a shift, or specific recurring dreams, or describe your beliefs of having the spirit of an animal as one of your core beliefs, and something that doesn't come and go, there's a very good chance you may be a therian.

In what you have presented in your "example" person, that to me unfortunately does not sound like a therian.

The reason being is that the word "recognize" has more of an "animalhearted" feel to it, meaning that one has more of an admiration or general interest/attraction to that animal, rather than a belief that they are that animal.

You also mention the phrase "telling themself", which also seems to me like something that is more of an admiration rather than a core belief.

In my own personal experiences and thoughts, my core belief when it comes to my spiritual therianthropy is that I literally live the life of my theriotype, the silver fox, to the greatest extent I can.

Without going into too much detail, a short list for myself is something like:

Diet (not specifically matching, but very close)

Atmosphere (certain therians enjoy a climate that is similar to what their theriotype enjoy)

Sleeping or living spaces (certain places of the home, or maybe the entire home are made to have the feeling or resemblance of that of which their theriotype feels most comfortable in or enjoys)

Doing certain things that make one feel more in touch with their theriotype outside the above listed (for example, certain exercises or staying active, having a schedule that is closest to ones theriotype - mine is a very late schedule with a bedtime of around 4AM on average, and little naps throughout the day, if I feel like it - )

The last thing you also mentioned in your example was the phrase "agree with the idea of", and that unfortunately to me also says that, because these are "ideas", it's not a therian belief, but more so of an admiration and respect for the animal and what it stands for, similar to a totem or spirit animal, rather than a true therian.

On a final note, I also want to say that although I am based as a spiritual therian, I have also made the cross to psychological in addition to my spiritual beliefs.

I will not go into that here because that will muddle this explanation up and make it confusing for someone who is still unsure, but for myself, having a basis as a spiritual therian that has crossed into a psychological side to enhance, enrich and compliment their identity, this is a very individual experience, and some may share it with me, however the person you have described in the example you used, I believe does not fall into any category of which I have mentioned in this post.

I hope this helps your understanding of therianthropy and clears a bit of it up.

As I stated previosuly as well in this post, I am absolutely not an expert on therianthropy, so please do not take everything of what I have said here literally.

What I have described here is based on what I have read, heard, or talked about with others, as well as my own personal beliefs and experiences, so please take what I said with a grain of salt, and continue to explore and ask questions.

There may be some things you don't even know about yourself that someone more experienced may be able to help you discover.

Whatever you do, I wish you luck.