yes!! i second ALL OF THIS!! especially point 1! when i first joined i identified as, to name a few; cross fox, pumapard, budgie, painted dog, cat, dire wolf, eurasian lynx.. and a lot more. i've since come to realize that i am a polymorph, smilodon, dire wolf, and archaeopteryx! definitely shrunk and changed that list x3 that was around 2 years ago. now look at me. point is, yes! questioning takes time, and a lot of it! even now, the identity i have now could change! you never know

hey. if you are new to the therian community or you are just figuring things out, here is some advice I wish I had earlier. this is just from another teenager going through the same thing.

1. don't rush figuring out your theriotype
it takes time. you do not have to know your exact species right away. explore what feels right and do not force it.

2. shifting is not a competition
you do not need to do quads or have intense shifts to be a real therian. everyone experiences it differently. even subtle mental shifts are valid.

3. keep it safe and private when you need to
not everyone understands therians and some people can be rude. be smart about who you tell. you do not have to explain your identity to anyone.

4. gear is cool but not required
tails, ears, masks, collars. all fun, but not necessary to be a therian. do not feel pressured to buy expensive stuff just to fit in.

5. find community, not drama
there are chill, supportive therians out there. join spaces with good modorators and avoid ones full of arguments. being a therian should feel safe, not stressful.

6. your therian identity does not replace your human life
you can still do homework, hang out with friends, and live normally. being a therian is one part of you, not all of you.

7. trust your instincts
if something feels off or forced, do not follow it. your experiences are yours. no one online gets to tell you that you are doing it wrong.

8. you do not need to be super spiritual
some therians are spiritual, some are psychological, some are both, and some are just figuring it out. all of it is vallid.

9. be kind to younger or newer therians
everyone was confused at first. help people instead of gatekeeping. it makes the community better.

I should specify that these are the most common aspects - looking back at this now, after also meeting therians in real life, it can, in fact, be different. I know someone who still has issues, and we talk it out all the time. These are just things that are most common.

It occurred to me that it was the beaver moon last night, I wish I could have done something more significant but at least I was able to remember this time. Happy therianthropy day

Reviving this old thread for the newer generation of Therians to learn about what it is and where it came from. ^^

Happy Therianthropy day guys, may you have a wonderful day celebrating your inner animal. I wont be doing anything really specially sadly but I'll still take some time to enjoy the full moon and appreciate the history of our community.

Hi! I've been curious and have been questioning being a polymorph! Do you have any tips or anything for me to figure things out? Anything to look out for other than the change in theriotype?

(2025-10-30 11:41)Lycanthera Wrote:  Thank you very much Cygnus! I will be paying more attention to detail in the future. If I find time recently, I will modify my post according to what you said. Have a lovely day!

You're welcome, you'll find a lot more info in our boards as well. This community's been around for a pretty long time and had a lot of critters contributing to the discussions. ^^

It is an interesting theory, and that definitely aligns with the psychological point of my therianthropy, however I am semi-spiritual so I do have some spiritual opinions on the matter. You are totally valid with your own opinions as well though!

Thank you very much Cygnus! I will be paying more attention to detail in the future. If I find time recently, I will modify my post according to what you said. Have a lovely day!

(2025-01-23 1:32)UniqueUsernameTADA Wrote:  I don't believe in souls, and I don't believe that we are born therians. Some of us may be predisposed to therianthropy, but it is not guaranteed to develop. So what does it take to become one? I see two main ingredients necessary for therianthropy to develop. Those being a connection to an animal, and a disconnect from oneself. The connection can come from a variety of places. People prone to special interests and hyperfixations are far more likely to have this connection. The same goes for people with pets, especially those who had a deep bond with the animal, potentially due to trauma. The disconnect from yourself or reality seems to have several common causes. The first of which is being transgender, which causes you to be uncomfortable in your body and life. Another one is being neurodivergent, which causes you to feel out of place in the world. Trauma and dissociation are very common causes as well, but it can be from anything really. When someone feels disconnected from the world, they will latch onto the animal that they feel connected to for a sense of security and identity. They will begin to project themselves onto the animal, then they will eventually see themselves as the animal. I feel that this recipe for therianthropy explains why so many therians are neurodivergent, mentally ill, and LGBT.
My experience certainly falls under this pattern. I had a special interest in animals from around the age of three, maybe younger. I would play pretend as an animal as much as I possibly could, and learned all that I could about them. Once I started school, I couldn't act like an animal visibly anymore. The school environment was incredibly overstimulating and overwhelming, so I dissociated frequently. I spent hours every single day at school zoned out. While I was dissociating, I engaged in maladaptive daydreaming. In these daydreams I would imagine myself and everyone around me as an animal. I never saw myself as a human, not even once. I wanted to be someone else and somewhere else, and being an animal was my escape. Eventually, this pretending wasn't pretending anymore. I really did see myself as an animal on the inside. That has never gone away.

I haven't read through all the replies yet as I'm typing this, but I agree with you by a lot!

My personal theory regarding my therianthropy is that it was always kind of there, but I developed animalistic self-defense mechanisms due to early / extensive periods of trauma that messed with my already (then undiagnosed) neurodivergent brain when I was a lot younger. I think that even without trauma, it (alterhumanity) would still be present for me, but the very intense fear and anger aspects of these animalistic behaviors that I struggle with now would be a lot less prevalent.

I've always just kind of known, really. It may just have been my brain working the way it does, or my similar patterns of disassociation / traumas during earlier stages of brain development.

I hope that this reply made sense, I don't mean to excuse my past bad coping mechanisms in this, I'm just trying to explain my take on where my therianthropy originated.