(2024-08-13 16:30)LavenderWobbleDragon Wrote:  I was made aware of the community through tiktok, but I had a feeling there was more to it, so I researched, until I ended up here.

I was made aware of the community through tiktok, but I had a feeling there was more to it, so I researched, until I ended up here.

(2024-08-13 15:39)WanderingForests Wrote:  Sadly, this has become such an issue that there are many threads about it. (opinions on quadrobics, therianthropy on tiktok, opinions on tiktok therians, chosen therians on TikTok, faking therians on tiktok, etc)
You can look it up if you want and see what other people have had to say

Sadly, this has become such an issue that there are many threads about it. (opinions on quadrobics, therianthropy on tiktok, opinions on tiktok therians, chosen therians on TikTok, faking therians on tiktok, etc)
You can look it up if you want and see what other people have had to say

I think people should be accepting of people who awakened at all ages although people who awakened at around 8 usually grow out of it.

I just got here, as a pup who knows people who were grooming victims (luckily never been a victim) I agree!

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.

Research for me is looking inside myself, first. I thought I was a wolf at first because of how much I loved them. But When I found I was a therian, I took a step back from finding my 'type' and tried to learn myself first.

I did a lot of looking internally and journaled to keep track of my habits and behaviours and traits. This research can affect finding your type! After I had a good understanding of myself, I tried to apply it to other animals. Shifts (if you experience them) can sometimes be enough to narrow down your type, like for my I had very canine/doglike phantom and mental shifts. But lots of canine act similar.

So that's when I do some external research, I'm looking at dog breeds and suddenly I find the Shiloh Shepherd, a dog breed I didn't know existed. I found they and I share a lot within personality, vocals, and phantom shifting. Even my mental self image looked exactly like one.

In short research doesn't have to mean looking at animals and their behaviors, watching doccumentaries, reading about them, etc. It can be useful, but only if you know yourself first. Don't let outside sources make you relate to animals just because you found a new one you think is cool and unique.

Best of luck,
~Fernweh

I don't name my theriotypes but I don't think my name really represents the full me so I am looking for a name that does weird but what ebbs