(2024-04-09 3:48)○UrLocalSwiftie○ Wrote:  I have quite a few questions about therianthropy in my head at this moment. May have more later so ill keep yall updated. Bear with me bc im typing this at 12 A.M. at night. Questions are:
-How can you make yourself shift more on command or get control of the shifting?
-How to shift in general (been struggling with this)
-Does therianthropy have anything to relate with depression and making it worse or impacting it in general? (based off with me it has gotten worse and idk if it is because of it or if its something else like species dysorfaflurfur.) (Idk how to spell rn.)
These are the few questions I can think off of the top of my head. I only have a lot of questions because i am still kinda new to this and the whole therian realm. Only been awakened for about 4 months.
Thank you for taking your time to read and/or reply to this thread and I hope you have an amazing day/night! :3

Hiya! I'm not sure if it's a language barrier thing, but I get the sense from your post that you may have been given some misinformation about therianthropy. I'll do my best to clear up some misconceptions!

1) How can you make yourself shift more on command or get control of the shifting?
Learning to 'shift' more shouldn't really be a goal of therianthropy. Shifting in our case refers to feeling a sudden increase in animalistic behaviours, senses, or phantom sensations, which comes naturally and is a defining characteristic of some therians. However, (as Vrydi said), not all therians experience shifts! There are many, many reasons that one might identify as a therian, and experiencing shifts is just one of them.

There are ways to induce shifts and ways to postpone/dull those feelings, but neither are recommended if you're new to the concept. It's something that's done when you're certain of your identity and are trying to feel more comfortable.

2) How to shift?
Same as above, learning to shift isn't something that can or should be done. It's just a term used to describe something that many therians already experience. Therianthropy isn't a choice after all, but rather an involuntary identity!

3) Does therianthropy have anything to do with depression / making it worse or impacting it in general?
Therianthropy can have an affect on mental health, but the two are not inherently related. In most cases, therianthropy should not be affecting your mental health in a negative way-- it's just something that you are and have always been, and that you learn to accomodate in your life. Species dysphoria can cause feelings of depression, but species dysphoria isn't a 'symptom' of therianthropy, and not every therian experiences it. It's an identity, not a mental illness after all!

I hope that helped! If you have more questions I'll do my best to answer, but I highly recommend taking a look around the forums and reading some of the personal experiences of other therians. Personal experience varies a lot, but there are definitely some key features which are shared amongst all therians!

- Fern

(2024-04-09 3:48)○UrLocalSwiftie○ Wrote:  -How can you make yourself shift more on command or get control of the shifting?

You cannot force shifts. Forcing shifts can cause fake feelings and cameo shifts.

It is okay to not shift. Not every therian shifts. It is a misconception that you need to shift to be a therian. Some don't shift at all, some are integrated and are constantly in a shifted state and other on a sliding scale. And other the "regular" shifting.

I am one of those non shifting therians.

Quote:-How to shift in general (been struggling with this)

See answer above

Quote:-Does therianthropy have anything to relate with depression and making it worse or impacting it in general? (based off with me it has gotten worse and idk if it is because of it or if its something else like species dysorfaflurfur.) (Idk how to spell rn.)

It is not related woth each other but can be influenced.

I've noticed some members saying that their species dysphoria causes sad feelings in them. Which in turn could potentially increase already existing depressing feelings.

I have quite a few questions about therianthropy in my head at this moment. May have more later so ill keep yall updated. Bear with me bc im typing this at 12 A.M. at night. Questions are:
-How can you make yourself shift more on command or get control of the shifting?
-How to shift in general (been struggling with this)
-Does therianthropy have anything to relate with depression and making it worse or impacting it in general? (based off with me it has gotten worse and idk if it is because of it or if its something else like species dysorfaflurfur.) (Idk how to spell rn.)
These are the few questions I can think off of the top of my head. I only have a lot of questions because i am still kinda new to this and the whole therian realm. Only been awakened for about 4 months.
Thank you for taking your time to read and/or reply to this thread and I hope you have an amazing day/night! :3

(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.

I do believe that Tiktok and possibly even YouTube is hurting therians, I do make videos on Youtube doing quads and I also watch videos of others doing quads. I started watching Therian Territory when I found out I was a therian so I could look more into it and it helped me a lot. Though from what I have saw on Therian Territory and then from other people has been different. (I do know not everyone has the same experiences with therianthropy) Some people are saying that "Being a therian means you have a very strong connection with an animal". I do believe that some of these people are misunderstanding the meaning of therianthropy, or they just don't get the meaning of it at all. Now for the talk about TikTok, I do believe that TikTok is harming the therian community, there are a lot of young kids on there claiming to be therians. I have a belief that some of these kids got on the therian side of TikTok or YouTube and thought it would be cool to be a therian as well,I looked at one account and they kept claiming they were a therian and I ended up finding out that they were faking it and just did it for views and content and also found out they had another account that they would make fun of therians on. I do believe that a lot of apps are harming therians. (If I am wrong about any of this please inform me on it.)

(2024-04-05 13:56)Aspen on Pawrs Wrote:  2) I agree with that to. I do feel like a lot of newly awakened therians who don’t have a real grasp on what therianthropy is resort to gear and quads to sort of prove that they are “a real therian”, especially if they have only learned about therians from YouTube and TikTok. At least in my experience that’s what I’m seeing. But don’t get me wrong, gear and quads aren’t bad at all and can be super fun!

yes exactly! gear is a huge comfort to me but that doesn't mean it "makes you a therian"

(2024-04-02 13:41)grays Wrote:  From what I've gained, there is a lot of misinformation/stigma around the community, making learning about therianthropy very difficult.
I entirely agree with perspectives like this. You're allowed to wear masks, do quads, etc. But it can't be your whole identity. If that's your entire means of being a therian, you probably are not a therian.

1) I totally agree with that.

2) I agree with that to. I do feel like a lot of newly awakened therians who don’t have a real grasp on what therianthropy is resort to gear and quads to sort of prove that they are “a real therian”, especially if they have only learned about therians from YouTube and TikTok. At least in my experience that’s what I’m seeing. But don’t get me wrong, gear and quads aren’t bad at all and can be super fun!

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?

(2024-04-02 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.

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.