+. Life of a Therian pt 1 .+

Misconceptions

If you've been on TikTok recently (which I surely have), you may have heard the term 'therian' thrown around. While the therian community is fairly new, it's a rich and fascinating subculture, with new members joining every day.

 A therian is someone who identifies as a specific non-human animal.                                     Spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally, they relate to the essence and behaviors of this animal, even though they don't have the physiology to match. Oftentimes, therians feel most like themselves when they engage in specific activities this animal would do.

For example, someone whose theriotype (species with which they identify) is a frog might feel most fulfilled when hopping around and croaking, while someone whose theriotype is a penguin might feel most comfortable waddling and huddling with loved ones for warmth. The term therian is derived from the zoological word Theria, which refers to a large group of mammals (including marsupials like koalas and wombats, and placentals like elephants and whales).

Therians don't just identify with animals; they identify as them.                                                           You may like (or even love) a specific animal or species of animal, but that doesn't mean that animal is your theriotype. In fact, very few therians choose which type of animal they identify as. Their transition into their theriotype often starts with an involuntary, almost clairvoyant impulse.

A therian may also experience heightened senses or a tingling sensation when around other animals of their species. 

Therianthropy is not on the LGBTQ+ spectrum.                                                                                         While a lot (that I know of) therians may also identify as Queer, their therian identity is completely unrelated. Because of the words "identify as," some people group therians in with trans and other gender-nonconforming groups. However, therians don't consider themselves a part of the LGBT community. 

Therians are not furries.                                                                                                                                         Furries are people who are especially interested in a specific animal. They often make animal personas (called ) or animal costumes (called 'fursuits') to connect even further with this animal. However, their fursonas are still a form of roleplaying; they view the animal they're portraying as a character. Therians, on the other hand, see their animal identity as a core part of them. They are the animal they identify as, whether they're wearing a costume or not.

A small percentage of furries may also derive sexual pleasure from dressing up and behaving as their animal personas. Therians don't consider their animal behaviors to be erotic acts. 

Therians are different from spirit animals.                                                                                              Finding you spirit animal is very different from discovering your identity as a therian. Spirit animals are symbolic, sometimes sacred guides that take on the form of an animal and offer you protection and guidance.While they are spiritual, they're still a separate entity that you can communicate with. Therian animal identities, on the other hand, are not separate from the therian themselves. They share one body.

Spirit animals are commonly associated with Native American traditions.However, be careful using the term "spirit animal" or broadly claiming they're the same since some Native Americans may find this disrespectful.

You experience shifts.                                                                                                                                                      A shift is a psychological change in your state of being where you can feel yourself transitioning to your animal identity.If you notice a change in your thought pattern where you become more like your theriotype than your human self, if you feel a phantom limb (a tail, a claw, etc.), or you suddenly dissociate and feel like you're more present in your animal habitat than the real world, you may be undergoing some therian shifts.

For example, if your theriotype is a parrot, during your shift, you might lose your independent thought and start repeating other people, feel like you have feathers instead of skin, or randomly start visualizing yourself on a subtropical island.Some therians also experience dream shifts, where they undergo psychological and physical changes into their animal identity whenever they dream.

You have species dysphoria.                                                                                                                                         If you feel like your body is the wrong species whenever you look in the mirror (for example, you should be a wolf instead of a human, you should have claws instead of fingernails, fangs instead of teeth, etc.), you may be experiencing species dysphoria.Species dysphoria is a common symptom for therians, who often feel a longing for the body of their theriotypes.

Common symptoms of species dysphoria include bouts of sadness or depression, body image issues, or hallucinations where you feel peaceful imagining yourself as your animal identity.

You feel at home in a specific animal habitat                                                                                                      If you're a therian, you're likely to feel a calling to the habitat of your theriotype. Sometimes, your animal identity's habitat may even feel more comfortable than your own human home.

For example, if your theriotype is a beaver, you may feel most like yourself in a marshland.It helps to your theriotype to learn how they interact with the world around them.For example, if you enjoy the beach more than your house, that doesn't necessarily mean your theriotype is a crab. It could just be a tranquil environment. However, if you feel the urge to burrow into the sand and walk sideways when you visit the beach, you may be a crab therianthrope.