As an autistic therian, I think therianthropy actually leans more towards the side of being common in those with ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
A lot of therians, myself included, are on the spectrum. There was atually a poll on this specific topic done a bit back and what was found was that the "Comorbidity rate" between ASD and Therianthropy was extremely high.
Whether or not they are directly linked, this is definitely something to think about.

Honestly, I think tiktok therians have kind of altered the definition of therianthropy. It went from being an experience, an identity to being an aesthetic. Something that can only be perceived one way.
As a younger therian thats been awaked for almost two years now, I actually did not find my therianthropy from tiktok. I found it from doing legitimate research, from doing internal seeking, looking into myself and my experiences. And I found that the therian identity fit me.
While many young kids see people like Opal or other therians and think "Ooh, I get to act like an animal and it's an acceptable thing?? Whatt that's so cool!" Or they do minimal research before suddenly deciding they are a therian.
I saw a person I was friends with on tiktok, who I was sure was therian, post about their experience.
They claimed that therianthropy was a choice for them, that they felt they had a lack of culture or meaning in their life and therianthropy brought both of those things.
so.
I've been posting on tiktok stuff like quadrobics, gear making, and talking about other "romanticized" parts of therianthropy, but not because I wanted to be a "better therian". I wanted my message to get spread.
Any time I talk about legitimate experiences I have as a therian, it gets shut down by other "new" therians.
A very good chunk of these "tiktok therians" are under the age of 12. That's really young to be submersing yourself into an identity.
Like a lot of new therians believe that mental shifts work like plurality. Where you forget what happens or have amnesia.
While I've had amnesia relating to my therianthropy, I think most therians can agree that mental shifts don't work like that...
Or the fact I've been put down for not overworking myself doing quads, or tried to be "famous like Opal". It's actually a beating to be on therian tiktok sometimes.

Another important part of this discussion is the misinformation that gets spread outside of our community. A lot of little kids will go on tiktok, find therians, and just decide they are mentally ill without doing genuine research or talking to any actual therians.
People with larger platforms than our own are spreading messages that absolutely don't need to be spread, which is why most normies will think of therians as mentally ill. That or the fact psychological therianthropy exists.
I'm sure that if maybe half of these kids actually understood therianthropy they would not be saying these things.
The part that worries me is that these kids voices are valued much higher than many therians are. So when people talk about misinformation or spread just blatanly wrong things about therianthropy, that stuff gets heard before the actual facts.

Overall though, I think it's a balance. Tiktok has helped a lot of people figure out their place in the world, whether it be therian or not. It's just that some people are not helping.
There are genuine therians on social media that are pretty popular and actually state the facts and educate people on therianthropy.

But yeah I don't like how we've romanticized and put standards on therianthropy. That's really weird.

(2023-08-26 18:00)WanderingForests Wrote:  That sounds like something that would make being a therian even more difficult to experience. Is it hard?

I wrote a rather lengthy essay on the topic for TG awhile back... An Essay on Dissociative Therianthropy

I recently remembered one TikTok therian, where they is wearing an irregularly shaped dog mask sniffing a dog indoors. For reference, they put bold text on the video surrounded by attention signs: "!I'm not a zoophile!". I have nothing to say about it.

(2023-08-27 4:20)Alliana Wrote:  

(2023-08-26 18:00)WanderingForests Wrote:  

(2023-08-26 1:38)Alliana Wrote:  

(2023-08-11 23:16)WanderingForests Wrote:  Also, I was not informed about 'dissociated therianthropy'. Everyone I have talked to says you can always control shifts to some degree. I will look into that.

Yeah, you can always ask @BearX on here, he knows a lot about it. Or me if you want but I have limited info on the subject despite experiencing it in extreme situations.

That sounds like something that would make being a therian even more difficult to experience. Is it hard?

It can be, especially when I have gaps in memory when it happens. The latest one is me beating up a kid because they were mean to my best friend. I remember howling to the sky but not much else. When I "woke up" (regained consciousness), the kid was on the ground crying and I didn't know what happened to him. I was really confused and had to apologize to him.

Wow. While that is bad, it's good that you defended your friend.

(2023-08-26 18:00)WanderingForests Wrote:  

(2023-08-26 1:38)Alliana Wrote:  

(2023-08-11 23:16)WanderingForests Wrote:  Also, I was not informed about 'dissociated therianthropy'. Everyone I have talked to says you can always control shifts to some degree. I will look into that.

Yeah, you can always ask @BearX on here, he knows a lot about it. Or me if you want but I have limited info on the subject despite experiencing it in extreme situations.

That sounds like something that would make being a therian even more difficult to experience. Is it hard?

It can be, especially when I have gaps in memory when it happens. The latest one is me beating up a kid because they were mean to my best friend. I remember howling to the sky but not much else. When I "woke up" (regained consciousness), the kid was on the ground crying and I didn't know what happened to him. I was really confused and had to apologize to him.

(2023-08-26 1:38)Alliana Wrote:  

(2023-08-11 23:16)WanderingForests Wrote:  Also, I was not informed about 'dissociated therianthropy'. Everyone I have talked to says you can always control shifts to some degree. I will look into that.

Yeah, you can always ask @BearX on here, he knows a lot about it. Or me if you want but I have limited info on the subject despite experiencing it in extreme situations.

That sounds like something that would make being a therian even more difficult to experience. Is it hard?

(2023-08-11 23:16)WanderingForests Wrote:  Also, I was not informed about 'dissociated therianthropy'. Everyone I have talked to says you can always control shifts to some degree. I will look into that.

Yeah, you can always ask @BearX on here, he knows a lot about it. Or me if you want but I have limited info on the subject despite experiencing it in extreme situations.

(2022-10-28 16:05)NovaFox Wrote:  I would say that it has the potential to both harm and benefit therians. There might be some people on it that mock therians, but there could also be therians on it that strive to educate people about therianthropy.

I agree! I think all social medias are a mixed bag, and the therian and otherkin communities on tiktok are no different. Some of its people jumping on a trend and some of its genuine.

Thats really interesting!

Personally it's really hard for me to tell why i feel what i feel, but i don't think i had a past life. I have two main theories.

1. It's just how i was born. for no reason. I was just born with part of an animal in me. I experience animalistic urges and feelings that happen to match up with an animal.

2. As a child i played so many games as animals, and i grew up around pets, that eventually it just became a part of me. other things came into play like how it made me feel safe and happy, but thats the gist.

I have other small parts of theories but nothing big. I don't really personally believe my therianthropy was really caused by anything, its just how i am.