What does ‘ doing research ‘ mean to you ?

Research to me is probably something different..

I didn't actively research anything at the beginning to figure out what I was.. I knew that I was significantly different from everyone I had ever met and that I wasn't exactly what they were seeing me as..but I didn't know what that was exactly, and I didn't give it much thought until I saw a form that looked just like me in a book and then I knew that somehow that's what I was, and things began to make sense for the first time.

After that I began reading about mythologies from various cultures to try to find explanations for my experiences, and to see if there were historical mentions of people like me. That evolved into focusing on Eastern Mythology and Philosophy which I later took coursework in college for. I also studied Psychology, Physiology, Physics, and various other fields between my work and university studies as I got older. These are useful when it comes to reality-testing and weeding out mundane yet not commonly known aspects of human development and the world around us.

I've tried to avoid researching too much into animal behavior for the reasons others have mentioned..I needed to know that my behavior was genuine and self-originating. Most of us discover ourselves relatively young, and the mind is highly suggestible at that point, so if you search for something hard enough you'll likely find a way to see it in yourself(even adults can do this..). Things that are real will still be there when you don't look for them, and you'll probably be forced to recognize them eventually because they won't go away. They will also likely have a significant impact on your daily life in some way (some good, some bad).

Tldr: You don't need to use the Force, Luke..just your patience.

For me doing research is asking questions
Googling for hours
Writing things down
Doing experiments
And deep thinking

(2024-11-15 4:57)RainbowFox Wrote:  For me doing research is asking questions
Googling for hours
Writing things down
Doing experiments
And deep thinking

Same here!
When it comes to research, I usually don't do much. But when I do, I'm researching for probably hours.
But doing experiments and deep thinking are super important stuff for me when it comes to researching and finding out who/what I am.
I can get lost in the deep thinking, as I am pondering so much.
When you're doing your deep thinking, do you spiral, or are you able to keep it level headed? For me it really depends on my train of thought and what I'm currently thinking about, but I'm curious about how the process of your deep thinking goes. :3

(2024-11-17 21:36)Squibble Wrote:  

(2024-11-15 4:57)RainbowFox Wrote:  For me doing research is asking questions
Googling for hours
Writing things down
Doing experiments
And deep thinking

Same here!
When it comes to research, I usually don't do much. But when I do, I'm researching for probably hours.
But doing experiments and deep thinking are super important stuff for me when it comes to researching and finding out who/what I am.
I can get lost in the deep thinking, as I am pondering so much.
When you're doing your deep thinking, do you spiral, or are you able to keep it level headed? For me it really depends on my train of thought and what I'm currently thinking about, but I'm curious about how the process of your deep thinking goes. :3

I don’t know but I’m often deep thinking about lots of things. My thoughts are almost endless. It’s like I have bees in my head(that’s a song reference btw)!

I didn't need to do a lot of research. I felt like a cat for years and years, and I always acted like one (I was "the furry" in school since I was like 7 lol, since most people don't know the difference ?) so I knew I was a feline and I knew I was small.

What about unbiased confirmation by other people, say people you've just met or hung out with for a short while?
I find that their insights may help, too, in that regard, even if it's just saying you're acting off or not as a human being should. It could be the trigger for you to do the research. Some of you mention deep thinking. But some of those feelings don't need to be thought about all the time, in my opinion. They have to be experienced first before you can narrow down their origins. Of course a bit obvious, but I thought why not mention.

For me, doing research means to spend ample time looking things up, rather that be scrolling through forums such as this one, websites, reading books, articles, watching informational videos/documentaries, etc.
To me the best thing you can do is experience. Talk to other therians, or even trusted friends and loved ones. Live out your therianthropy through expression, physically and emotionally, experiment with labels, etc.

Of course you'll need to be careful with those last two sentences. I'm not recommending that you tell others about your therianthropy if you deem it to be unsafe, just for clarifaction! Also, try to stick with what your gut is telling you.

To me 'doing research' means exactly what the word says. I read what I can on the subject including psychology sites and sources that approach the topic from a objective standpoint and try to take in different perspectives even if it seems uncomfortable.

Doing this helps me to examine what I think I feel and determine whether it is just a passing phase or something else.
As you do more research there is nothing wrong with refining or changing your alignment if you find an aspect or species that more closely harmonizes with your internal feelings.

With Therianthropy, "research" to me takes one of two forms:

1. Internal. This is me reflecting on my own experiences, trying to determine causes, effects, and patterns between the two. I have struggled with this category most because it is hard to remove innate biases and blind spots ... yet I'm the only one who can truly know how I feel, dreamt, or thought. Doing my best to describe these self-truths to others can fall short of first-hand experience.

2. External. Unlike what many others have said on this thread, this is not me doing research on an animal or its mythology. In fact, I feel engrossing myself in such topics under the guise of "Therian research" may produce a false positive - for example, researching elk for 10 hours per week may lead me to see myself as an elk more and lead to a frequency of self-elk thinking. Instead, it is me learning about others' experiences ... and sharing my own. The latter crystalizes the authenticity of what did - and did not - happen with my experiences, and the former helps me understand what in the lexicon of Therianthropy others (and myself) have experienced - shifts, awakenings, etc.

As I said in my introduction post, I am looking for what is truly me, not to steer the needle toward any particular direction. My undergraduate degree is in math, so I have a strong disposition toward accepting the fewest assumptions to reach a conclusion. This is a challenge for me in this realm of psychological/spiritual introspection where my own inherently subjective view must be the final arbiter of truth for myself.

That said, from what I've read so far, I believe Therian Guide is just what I needed to support the research I'm doing. Thank you in advance for being helpers in the lab.