What's It Like Being Therian (And Others Alike)?

Hey! Thanks for the post, I always love to hear that there's folk outside the community interested in learning more :) I think the main thing I'd like to point out is exactly what a therian is, by definition. It's not a religion at all, and it's not a spirituality. The only requirement to be considered a therian is to identify yourself as non-human, in one way or another. Some identify spiritually, psychologically, physically, but in all honesty the only requirement needed is for you to identify in some way as non-human. Now, this doesn't mean we do not know we are human, we know, but identity is a complex thing, and its different for everyone ^^

Now, I'll get to answering your questions from a personal level :3

What are your personal experiences with therianthropy?

My experience with my nonhumanity was always a bit of a lonely one. It wasn't until the last few years that I've started being active within the community, and even despite this the community online, it's always lead to feeling quite alone in this world. It's difficult to find others like us in local spaces, which makes online therian spaces to become a bit of a safe-haven for me. 

I'll admit that I do not do quadratics and have no interest in doing them, mainly due to disability, but also it's a rather new thing with the younger generation of therians, and I'm just not interested in it. Quadrobics is a rather athletically demanding exercise, it's really focuses on your core I believe? It's walking, trotting, and running on your hands and feet, and I believe there's a pretty big focus on having the correct posture as to not injure yourself. 

Why all of the hate?

Unfortunately, we do live in a world where differences are shamed, and that not understanding something on a personal level can often be perceived as wrong or unnatural. It sucks, but it's why having communities is important :> Everyone's different, and that's what makes us normal. :D

Why is this your identity?

It simply is. It's the same reason as being male is part my identity, the same reason as being gay is part of my identity, and the same reason as being indigenous is part of my identity. It's what makes me, and there's no true reasoning behind it, other than that is what makes me most comfortable and most happy. 

Does gear help both mentally and physically?
It definitely can! I love expressing myself as a deer whenever I can. Some things, such as wearing keychain tails on your belt loops, has also become a sort of way to flag other therians due to its history surrounding the whole 'teenage werewolves' community in the 80s. 

When did you figure this out?
I believe it was the summer of 2016, which would nearly make 9 years since I've discovered the words for how I felt and the community around it. 

How do you make gear?
Gear can be anything that relieves from dysphoria! Some wear tails, I know masks have been the latest trend in the community. But gear can also be as subtle as pins, embroidery on a hat, taxidermy, or even things made out of wood/stone of your theriotype's natural environment ^^

What are shifts?
Shifts don't happen to everyone, and some shifts can happen to non-therian identifying folk as well! There's a variety of different types of shifts, but what I experience are mental, phantom, and sensory shifts. 

Mental shifts are when I get an altered state of mind. I am still conscious, of course, but my instincts and thought processes change to be more deer-like. I become more skittish, and more alert, for example. 

Phantom shifts are having the sensation of missing or altered body parts, sort of how someone who's had a body part amputated may feel phantom limbs. We cannot see them, but we can feel them. 

Sensory (or perception) shifts are when senses can feel heightened or duller to reflect that of your theriotype. For example, a dog therian who experiences a sensory shift might notice a stronger sense of smell. 

There's also dream shifts, spiritual shifts, and like,,, a thousand more LOL

(Lastly non-serious question, please don't take offence this one is just for fun) Are you into Warrior Cats?

LMFAO okay I was a warrior cats kid when I was in school, I will admit that.

I hope this helps !! feel free to ask more questions and I'll do my best to answer them :)

I’m also kinda new (well, I’m still learning quite a bit about being therian), so this may not be much coming from me, but here’s my personal experience from the past 6 ish years of tryna figure this out!

2. Quadrobics are basically like the name states (quad meaning 4) any sort of four legged movement/action! I do quadrobics on the occasion, or when I have shifts, and it gets pretty fun! I like challenging myself, and how much my body can handle physically, and believe me when I say quadrobics are NOT as easy as people make it seem. Once you do get into the flow of it though, it gets pretty natural, atleast for me it does. Generally speaking, quadrobics is just like, jumping, running, walking, and so on but just on all fours. 

3. About all the hate, mainly because of misinformed people thinking we’re furries, or basically zoophiles. Just because we identify as a type of animal, doesn’t mean we like animals in a weird way. Being a therian is also sometimes labeled as ‘cult like’ or a ‘mental illness’ (clinical lycanthropy) but that is not the case! Unlike others, therians know that they’re human, just identify as something else! The hate really stems from people finding certain aspects weird, and generally just being misinformed.

4. Like I explained at the start, I kinda just couldn’t deny it anymore? It was sorta an instinct for me. It came naturally to me, and I felt a lot more free when I accepted that part of me. Ofcourse this is different for everyone, but for me personally I’ve always had strong attachment to wolves and foxes, and one thing led to the other, and before I could really think about it, I sorta knew that was a whole part of me. It’s my identity because it makes me feel like.. it’s just who I am? (Sorry if that’s confusing, it’s pretty hard to word this )

5. In a practical sense, yes! Gear helps a lot! Maybe not a tail and a mask (atleast in a physical sense) but when doing quads gloves help protect your fingers, and (if you like them) fur leg warmers can definitely help protect your knees/legs from getting scratched. Mentally speaking, a tail helps me personally because it gives physicality to the phantom limbs I feel every so often, a mask does a similar task. When I have shifts, I find I’m usually in gear, and out somewhere in a forest or park, it kinda helps me get into the mindset and be a little more comfortable with how my body functions!

6. Technically speaking, I’ve had the idea I was therian for a while, I just didn’t know being therian was a thing? When I did find out, I was a bit unsure of myself, and like I said, I kinda tried to suppress the feeling. When I did start researching into it a bit more, I had a few friends who were furries and they thought I was a furry like them, but I was definitely way different from them. After a little encouragement from people around me, I kinda became comfortable with and accepted it! This happened over the course of 4 whole years, and I’ve been openly therian for roughly 2 years now!

7. Personally, I don’t make gear. I’ve made masks before but I’m not too good and I don’t have much time, so I usually order online! I like supporting small businesses, and some are real hidden gems! I have two tails, some fur leg warmers, and 3 masks in total! You don’t really need gear or anything to be therian, it’s just fun, and basically helps you customize your avatar!

8. Shifts are kinda big topic, there are SO many types! One good example to kinda understand how it works is the movie Wolf Walkers, (it’s not exactly like that but it sorta feels the same way). Generally speaking, shifts are when a part of you, and a part of your theriotype sorta connect?? Like, you sorta get their sense, or behavior, or are in a state of mind like your theriotype. In my experience, as canine kin, I usually have a heightened sense of smell, I get weirdly alert of all the movements around me, my hearing can sometimes get incredibly accurate, or just super focused! Other times, I just get kinda the moods? Like I get strangely attached, highly protective, or just have the urge to play fight/bite my friends (all in fun obvi)! I also get dream shifts, where in my dreams I basically move through the dream as one of my two theriotypes!

9. Lastly, warrior cats! I know quite a few cat therians who absolutely LOVE warrior cats, and I personally find it fun to make oc’s and stuff within warrior cats! (That one game on Roblox rocks) However, I really only got into to it because of my friends, and personally it hasn’t ever really called to me or anything. It’s a cool series, but relatively not so much for me.

And yeah! That’s all from me, hope this helps! :3