I am onmist(believes in all religions) and I also have thought of Gaia. I think it is possible that she could have messed up, or she could have purposely made us like this.

This aligns with the fact that a disproportionate amount of therians are autistic. I partially agree, and this is generally my background belief. Psychologically speaking.

Spiritually, I have a few different takes, but I'll probably make a separate thread for that eventually. Not right now though

I am not gaian, however, this does make sense on both accounts. I myself am close to nature. I am Wiccan and have worshipped the moon since I was young. The moon has guided me like the animals around us, and helped me bond with nature since a young age as well.

My interpretation on therianthropy in gaianism is that she purposely made some of us more animal minded. To bring us closer to nature and herself and to not forget where we came from. In a way it connects us to her.

I believe that Gaia created all living organisms on earth, and sometimes she messes up and we have mindsets of animals, or relate to them, creating therian/otherkin! sometimes we can have mindsets of any creature , but yes, thats what i think!

While I am aware that I have a more scientific approach to life, I decided to add my two cents. Note: while I may say some things that contradict other's points of views this is simply my point of view and I am not trying to tell anyone what to believe or think.

Psychological therians:
Therianthropy in general: I think that psychological therianthropy could be caused by the brain simply not being wired correctly. Now, as I'm saying this I would like to point out that what I mean when I say not "wired correctly" is that it is not wired how it should be/typically is, I am not saying there is anything "wrong" with therianthropy or anything of the sorts. I think that it could also partially come from feeling othered my humanity and so you subconsciously turn to animals, and animals dont judge. I think that with a combination of the brain not being wired correctly and possibly already feeling othered from the people around you could be what creates therianthropy in a person.
Theriotypes: I think that, if I'm correct about the first part, since you already feel sort of othered by humans and have subconsciously turned to animals and start maybe noticing more animalistic traits from your brain not being wired correctly. Then, since there are So. Many. Species on the planet most are able to find 1 or more animal that fits their description.

Spiritual therians:
I mostly think the same things with spiritual therians that I do with psychological therians but with one extra bit. I think that any opinion or religion or anything is product of how your brain is, and impressions on you. With therianthropy being no exception.

Again, I am not saying you should not believe what you want, ornwhat you should think, I am just trying to add what I think to the conversation.
Have a lovely day

I think this is generally true in many cases. Most therians say they are born therian, and I don't think it's necessarily a contradiction. I think we are not born with a personality or soul, but with the raw materials of the psyche that gradually integrate into what we call the soul. Stress/trauma/neurodivergence can alter its development.

(2023-12-01 0:23)mangle Wrote:  I agree. I've always had trouble trying to separate copinglink vs. therianthropy caused by trauma, probably because I have a hard time differentiating /discovering/ my theriotype versus /choosing/ it. Basically, I doubt myself a ton.

The conscious mind where you can choose is like a separate mind from the unconscious where things are discovered. The unconscious is open to suggestion so it is possible to induce therian-like experiences by thinking about it, etc. If you need help differentiating, maybe the community would have suggestions like not watching animal videos for awhile or something. If your experiences are kind of on the bridge in-between and it's helpful to you, I think that's alright too. Discovery takes time. I feel like therians can be a bit tribalistic. I don't blame them but maybe it could contribute to some people feeling self-doubts too.

I was unaware there was such a thing. Nice to know.
Though I don't know what I'd even do on such a day.

I agree. I've always had trouble trying to separate copinglink vs. therianthropy caused by trauma, probably because I have a hard time differentiating /discovering/ my theriotype versus /choosing/ it. Basically, I doubt myself a ton.

I definitely resonate with the "an animal could go through this" aspect. Identifying with a theriotype can help me feel stronger mentally, especially if it means I start approaching things from a perspective of just 'trying to survive.' It can help things not feel so world-ending.

Hi!
So I’ve done some thinking, and I think an explanation for some (definitely not all, keep in mind) psychological therians could be stress, trauma, and neurodivergence- and I’d like to elaborate on it.
Firstly, in terms of stress and trauma, I believe it could be possible some alterhumans may identify as so because of how their mind subconsciously copes with stress and trauma. One way might be their brain perceiving animals as strong, and that an animal could get through this, so their brain starts to cope by integrating that animal or animals into their identity. Not the same as copinglink, as it’s involuntary.
In terms of neurodivergence or even those who identify as LGBTQ+, mainly those who have had bad experiences with it, I think perhaps it is because they’re so different from the neurotypical or cishet people that they may feel animal-like, and it becomes part of their identity. Another cause could be being dehumanized by society.

This post doesn’t account for every cause that could be the case, just a few- and take it with a grain of salt, because I’m not an adult nor am I a mental health professional. Thanks!