#supernumerary phantom limb

[liongoatsnake]

It has come up as of late, yet again, regarding the use of the term phantom limbs while referring to the experiences some alterhumans have where they feel traits on their bodies that are not physically there.  

While I could go into the long, long history of the term being used in the alterhuman communities going back into the 1990s, as this debate’s key sticking point is in regard to phantom limb being a medical term specific to the experiences of amputees or instead a general term that can be used for non-amputees as well, I’m going to strictly be pulling from academic sources below.   

To put it succinctly, the use of the term phantom limbs for alterhuman experiences has been recognized by multiple researchers and in other academic settings over the years. Ergo, no it isn’t a term specific to amputees that doesn't apply to alterhuman experiences. - Academic references below cut-

Examples:

The research done by a multidisciplinary team of researchers focusing on the study of the furry fandom called the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, uses the term phantom limb while referring the experiences of therians and otherkin. In their book, FurScience! A Summary of Five Years of Research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, which is a summary of five years of continuous research into the furry fandom, a section simply named “Phantom Limb,” touches on the topic of phantom limbs among furries, therians, and otherkin. [1] They go into the presence of “phantom limbs” among furries, therians, and otherkin again in their piece “Furries, Therians, and Otherkin, Oh My! What Do All Those Words Mean, Anyway?” which was part of the book, Furries Among Us 2: More Essays on Furries by Furries. Further, in 2019, the team published an academic article which shared their results where they used the previously mentioned Rubber Hand Illusion experiment on furries and therians. Once again, when bringing up the existence of experiences among therians and otherkin, the researchers use the term “phantom limbs.” [2] 

Devin Proctor’s 2019 dissertation, On Being Non-Human: Otherkin Identification and Virtual Space includes, along with dozens of mentions of the term throughout the work, a section on Phantom Shifting and in which he uses the term “phantom limbs.” [3]

For yet another example, the article, “An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Identity in the Therian Community” also goes into quite some detail regarding the experience of “phantom limbs” among therians. [4]

A final example includes Nat Bricker’s 2016 thesis, Life Stories of Therianthropes: An Analysis of Nonhuman Identity in a Narrative Identity Model. [5]

…

This is NOT an exhaustive list in the slightest, but I think I’ve made my point clear enough (and I have other things I need to do today other than keep searching through my archive...).

TL;DR - Researchers who have studied therians and otherkin ALSO use the term phantom limbs to describe our experiences. This isn’t appropriation or otherwise misuse of medical terminology. This is using a word for what it means.   Citations:

[1] Plante, Courtney N., Stephen Reysen, Sharon E. Roberts, & Kathleen C. Gerbasi. FurScience! A Summary of Five Years of Research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project. Waterloo, Ontario: FurScience, 2016. https://furscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/FurScience-Final-pdf-for-Website_2017_10_18.pdf, page 116.

[2] Kranjec, Alexander, Louis Lamanna, Erick Guzman, Courtney N. Plante, Stephen Reysen, Kathy Gerbasi, Sharon Roberts and Elizabeth Fein. “Illusory Body Perception and Experience in Furries.” CogSci (July 2019): Page 596-602.

[3] Proctor, Devin. On Being Non-Human: Otherkin Identification and Virtual Space. The George Washington University. May 2019. pages 172, 203-209, & 255.

[4] Grivell, Timothy, Helen Clegg & Elizabeth C. Roxburgh. “An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Identity in the Therian Community.” Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research. Volume 14, Number 2 (May 2014): pages 119-120, 124, 128-129.

[5] Bricker, Nat. Life Stories of Therianthropes: An Analysis of Nonhuman Identity in a Narrative Identity Model, Lake Forest College, April 2016, pages. 10, 14-15, 39-41, 60.

#alterhuman terms #phantom limbs #supernumerary phantom limbs #phantom shifting #research into alterhumans #I don't mean to come across as harsh or snippy #it's nearing the end of finals week and I am in need of a break

[beast-named-cyzul]

my feathers are so soft btw

#phantom shift #phantom wings #otherkin #dragonkin #draconic #draconity #alterhuman #nonhuman #nd inhuman #supernumerary phantom limbs

[lycan-of-chaos]

Phantom wings are hella today!

Been wanting to *flap* and bonk them against things. The subconscious idea of slapping noise and sensation makes me wonder if it's a way my species communicated other than verbalizing? Unsure but I want my wings back so bad

#otherkin #alterhuman #dragonkin #supernumerary phantom limbs #phantom shift

[bappledilk]

I just realized I’ve never officially posted the flag for myself and my hoarde… and I feel like now is the perfect time!

We are called the Angelbox Hoarde.  The flag was created/drawn by me, and everything on the flag has a meaning!

The black wing represents my phantom wings, and the connection to angels we share.  The pink stripes represent femininity, the blue stripes represent masculinity, and the purple stripes represent androgyny!  The white areas of the flag represent other genders, such as my outheripanion companions, and my xenogenders.

I personally consider my imaginary friend, Aki, to be a part of the hoarde as well.  I know she isn’t an object, but I don’t want her to feel left out!  She perceives objects as sentient too, so we’re all kinda like a big family.  :)

#creative #new flag #flag design #otherkin #otherkinity #angelkin #supernumerary phantom limbs #phantom limbs #phantom wings #posic+ #posic #quoiposic #posic+ hoarde #posic hoarde #quoiposic hoarde #hoarde #posic+ hoarde flag #posic hoarde flag #quoiposic hoarde flag #hoarde flag #imaginary friend #imaginary friends #angelbox #angelbox hoarde #angelpanion #outheripanion #xenogender #xenogenders #mogai

[hybrid-ish]

whoa these phantom ears really be phantoming on top of my head

#alterhuman #therian #supernumerary phantom limbs

[ermine-57047]

Me: [stretching in the morning]

My brain:

YOU HAVE

BIG

FEATHERY

WINGS

#te rambles #also gives me a catlike tail sometimes and big fluffy ears. #supernumerary phantom limbs #yk the drill

[frameacloud]

The purpose of this survey is to collect data about the experiences of people who feel sensations of nonhuman body parts, for example, wings or a tail. Some call these supernumerary phantom limbs, phantom shifts, otherlimbs, or astral limbs, though you may have other preferences for the words you use for your own experiences. If you haven't had those experiences, you can participate in this survey too. This survey was made for people who call themselves otherkin, therianthrope, furry, or any other potentially alterhuman or nonhuman identity. If you don't describe yourself with any of those words, you can participate in this survey too.

The survey will take you about 6 to 15 minutes. Everyone age 18 and up is welcome to fill out the survey at the below link, until it closes on July 6, 2024:

Survey Link

Who is running this survey and why: The person running this survey is Orion Scribner (they/them), an otherkin/therianthrope who has been making projects about these communities since 2005. I will use the results in my panel at an Internet-based convention later this year (OtherCon 2024), and in other future research projects.

#otherkin #nonhuman #alterhuman #therian #phantom limbs #therianthropy #therianthrope #survey #please reblog and tell your friends about it if they don't use Tumblr... it will only be open for a little more than 2 months! #screen reader friendly #rated PG-13

[otherkinnews]

The effects of psilocybin on phantom limbs: an upcoming large study, and what otherkin have noticed

Orion Scribner posted on September 15, 2023:

Content warnings: This article talks about the use of psychoactive substances only as used in either medical treatment under the guidance of physicians, or in spiritual visionary experiences as entheogens. This article also talks about injuries and chronic pain, but it doesn't describe these in graphic detail. Be forewarned that some of the academic sources cited do go into graphic detail, if you choose to go read those next.

Summary: In California, a large study is looking for participants. Researchers want to see if psilocybin helps treat the participants' phantom limb pain. The study isn't about therians or otherkin. Many therians and otherkin experience phantom limbs, and some of them have made observations about how psilocybin and other psychoactive substances influence their phantom limbs. This article is an eight minute read, plus a bibliography.

A large study seeks participants who suffer phantom limb pain due to having had amputations

The Psychedelic Health and Research Initiative (PHRI) at the University of California, San Diego, is looking for participants for a study. They want adults who have had an amputation and who experience chronic phantom limb pain. The proposed will use MRI brain imaging to study the effects of a therapeutic dose of psilocybin on phantom pain. Psilocybin is the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, which may have potential for addressing some forms of chronic pain that are difficult to treat. The $1.3 million study will be placebo-controlled and double-blind, and they will compensate participants $600. Specialized monitors will oversee each session, with doctors and rescue medications available. The pitch for the study doesn't say what dates it will take place, but a recruitment ad ran for it on August 31 in Amplitude, a news and lifestyle magazine for people who have had amputations. To learn more about the study or find how to contact its team by phone or email, see its pitch here, and Amplitude Magazine's ad here.

This proposed study doesn't say anything about otherkin and therians, and the recruitment ad only mentions that it's looking for people who experience phantom limbs due to having had amputations. Something intriguing is that that otherkin and therians have noticed that psilocybin and other psychoactive substances affect their own phantom sensations. The rest of my article will go into some background about all that.

Many sorts of people experience phantom limbs, of many kinds, for many reasons

When someone has sensations as though they have a body part that they do not physically have, the medical term for this is a phantom limb. It's best known in people who have had a limb amputated, but the phenomenon happens in many other cases. For example, it also occurs for people who have sensations of missing body parts other than limbs: ears, fingers, breasts, genitals, or internal organs (Langer et al, 2023; Dorpat, 1971; Ramachandran and McGeoch, 2007). The phenomenon also includes people who have sensations of body parts that they weren't born with (McGeoch and Ramachandran, 2012; Price, 2006). Some types of people who experience this are those who have had a stroke, who were born with incomplete limbs (McGeoch and Ramachandran, 2012), who are transgender (Ramachandran and McGeoch, 2008), or who elicit such experiences through experimental conditions (Casas et al, 2016). The medical term for a sensation of an extra limb is a supernumerary phantom limb (SPL) (Amoni et al, 2005).

Phantoms are underreported due to stigma. Most people who experience phantoms only talk to their doctors about having phantoms if they are very painful and they want help with that. The medical term for this is phantom limb pain (PLP). For people who do feel phantom pain, it can be different to treat than pain in a body part that is physically there. Experts are developing creative approaches for treating this pain, for example, mirror-box therapy (Imaizumi et al, 2017), virtual reality (Ambron et al, 2021), and psychedelic medicine.

What are therianthropes and otherkin?

Therianthropes (therians) and otherkin are people who have the long-term, integral experience and identity of being something other than human. For example, of being a wolf, elf, dragon, or Pokémon (Scribner, 2023; Sonne, 2021; Shepard, 2021). The explanations they give for why they are like this usually come from spirituality, psychology, or both (Kinmunity, 2016, pp. 19). Some common spiritual explanations are reincarnation or having been born with a nonhuman spirit, but not all therians and otherkin share these beliefs or hold them in similar ways (Lupa, 2007, pp. 27, 57-66). Though these examples of explanations are tied to spiritual beliefs, being an otherkin or therian isn't a religion and does not have religious or spiritual requirements. On the secular side, some explain themselves as having something about their mind or brain that's different than that of most people, not for spiritual reasons, but simply an undeniable part of their everyday lives (Lupa, pp. 80-86). Though this is an unusual way for a person to be, mental health experts say this isn't inherently a mental illness or delusion (Lupa, 2007, pp. 86, 261-262; Baker-Whitelaw, 2015).

Many therians and otherkin experience phantom limbs

Many therians and otherkin experience phantom limbs and phantom sensations of body parts that humans don't have, such as tails. When the therian community began in the 1990s, they contextualized their experiences with werewolf folklore. They developed jargon in which they refer to times of feeling nonhuman phantoms more vividly as phantom shapeshifting (House of Chimeras, 2021; Lupa, 2007, pp. 42-43, 126-127; Proctor, 2019, pp. 203-209). When the otherkin community mingled with the therian community in the 2000s, they adopted this shifting terminology as well.

Survey data suggests phantom sensations are prevalent among therians and otherkin. A large informal survey of otherkin and therians found that 72.1% of them experience nonhuman phantom limbs or phantom sensations (Kinmunity, 2016, p. 155). A team of scientists known as the International Anthropomorphic Research Project (IARP) or FurScience surveyed attendees of furry fandom conventions. The furry fandom is about enjoyment of fictional human-like animals in art, and its participants often roleplay as animal characters, but usually don't identify as animals. The IARP tended to find that 5% to 20% of furries identified as therians (Plante et al, p. 112). At AnthroCon 2015, the IARP found that phantoms were more prevalent among therians than other attendees of that convention. Of those therians who felt phantoms (percentage not specified in the IARP's public-facing materials), 70.4% of them tended to find it distressing (Plante et al, p. 116).

Otherkin and therian phantoms can feel different while influenced by psychoactive substances

Drugs are not a key aspect of therian and otherkin subcultures. Their communities rarely discuss the effects of substances in relationship to their therianthropy and otherkinship. Some otherkin and therians who have used mind-altering substances have noticed that these influence their phantom sensations.

The first source I've seen that describes this in significant depth is "Entheogens for Otherkin," an excellent presentation by Dove and Edge for verified adult attendees at Othercon 2022. A recording of the presentation is on Youtube. Though there isn't a written transcript of it, together with other attendees, I wrote five pages of notes on the presentation when I attended, which you can read in a section near the end of this document. Entheogens are psychoactive substances employed in culturally sanctioned visionary experiences in ritual and religious contexts. Othercon is a yearly virtual convention for otherkin, therians, and other sorts of alterhumans. Dove is a formally ordained Pagan priestess, an otherkin, therian, and host of a multiple system, with ten years of experience with entheogens. Her spouse Edge is a vampire and Catholic witch with twenty years of experience with entheogens. The panelists and attendees talked about harm reduction and safety. Some entheogens the panel talked about were psilocybin, ayahuasca, datura, and cannabis. Different entheogens each affect phantom sensations in their own characteristic ways, some having little effect on phantoms, and others making phantoms feel more vivid, or shifting, or developing entirely into an out-of-body experience. Entheogens may affect otherkin and therians’ phantoms in different ways from person to person.

About the writers: This article was written by Orion Scribner (they/them), with feedback from their boyfriend Page Shepard (he/they) and partner system House of Chimeras (they/them). The three& of them are historians and archivists for the communities of therians, otherkin, and other alterhumans.

References

Ambron, E., Buxbaum, L. J., Miller, A., Stoll, H., Kuchenbecker, K. J., & Coslett, H. B. (2021). Virtual Reality Treatment Displaying the Missing Leg Improves Phantom Limb Pain: A Small Clinical Trial. Neurorehabilitation and neural repair, 35(12), 1100–1111. https://doi.org/10.1177/15459683211054164

Amplitude Magazine (August 31, 2023). "Tripping the switch on PLP." Amplitude Magazine.https://livingwithamplitude.com/article/tripping-the-switch-on-plp/

Annoni, Blanke, Dieguez, Khateb, Landis, Lazeyras, Momjian-Mayor, Pegna, and Simon (March 20, 2009). “Seeing the phantom: A functional MRI study of a supernumerary phantom limb.” Annals of Neurology.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19557858/

Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (February 22, 2015). “Understanding the otherkin.” The Kernel. Archived March 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150318110839/http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/features-issue-sections/11866/otherkin-tumblr-definition-pronouns/

Casas, D.M., G G Gentiletti, & A A Braidot. “Somatic and Movement Inductions Phantom Limb in Non-amputees.” Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 705, Issue 1, (2016): 1-11 http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/705/1/012062/meta (accessed June 26 2016).

Dorpat, T. L. (1971). Phantom sensation of internal organs. Comprehensive psychiatry, 12(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-440x(71)90053-8 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0010440X71900538?via%3Dihub

Dove and Edge (2022). "Entheogens for Otherkin." OtherCon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YEh0mVcLo0

House of Chimeras. (November 19, 2021). A Timeline of the Therianthrope Community.https://houseofchimeras.neocities.org/Nonfiction-Articles

Imaizumi, S., Asai, T., & Koyama, S. (2017). Agency over Phantom Limb Enhanced by Short-Term Mirror Therapy. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 11, 483. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00483

Kinmunity. "2016 Otherkin Community Survey." Kinmunity. 2016. Private collection.

Langer, S. J., Caso, T. J., & Gleichman, L. (2023). Examining the prevalence of trans phantoms among transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse individuals: An exploratory study. International journal of transgender health, 24(2), 225–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2022.2164101https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37114107/

Lupa (2007). A Field Guide to Otherkin. Stafford, England: Immanion Press. https://www.worldcat.org/title/137242792

McGeoch, P., and Ramachandran, V. (2012). “The appearance of new phantom fingers post-amputation in a phocomelus.” Neurocase 18, no. 2, pp. 95-97. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13554794.2011.556128https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21598175/

Plante, Courtney N., Stephen Reysen, Sharon E. Roberts, and Kathleen C. Gerbasi (2016). "FurScience! A Summary of Five Years of Research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project." FurScience. https://furscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fur-Science-Final-pdf-for-Website_2017_10_18.pdf

Price, E. H. (2006). A critical review of congenital phantom limb cases and a developmental theory for the basis of body image. Consciousness and cognition, 15(2), 310–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2005.07.003https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810005000917?via%3Dihub

Proctor, Devin (May 2019). On Being Non-Human: Otherkin Identification and Virtual Space. The George Washington University. https://search.proquest.com/openview/e156c24bf65c4efb0918a8db37433cce/

Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative (2023). "Research." UC San Diego. https://phri.ucsd.edu/research/

Ramachandran, V. S., & McGeoch, P. D. (2007). Occurrence of phantom genitalia after gender reassignment surgery. Medical hypotheses, 69(5), 1001–1003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2007.02.024https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0306-9877(07)00181-8

Ramachandran, V.S. and Paul D. McGeoch. “Phantom Penises in Transsexuals: Evidence of an Innate Gender-Specific Body Image in the Brain,” Journal of Consciousness Studies, Volume 15, Number 1, (2008): pages 5-16, http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/imp/jcs/2008/00000015/00000001/art00001 (accessed November 5 2015).

Scribner, Orion (April 13, 2023). “A Simple Introduction to Otherkin and Therianthropes: Version 2.4.7.” The Works of Orion Scribner. https://www.frameacloud.com/nonfiction

Shepard, Page. “The 2021 Nonhumanity & Body Modification/Decoration Survey Results Breakdown.” Three Dragons and a Dog. August 28, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://invisibleotherkin.neocities.org/files/BodyModification-DecorationSurveyResults.pdf

Sonne (2021). “Terms and definitions.” Project Shift. https://projectshift.therianthropy.info/terms-definitions-by-sonne

A note for commenters on this article:

The author of this article is a layperson who isn’t involved in the study, so if you have questions about the study, please contact the researchers running the study instead, here. In your comments on my blog post, please exercise caution if you discuss psychotropic substances. If you write about illegal practices, for example, obtaining drugs that are illegal in your region, myself and other moderators of this forum may delete your comment. This is in alignment with Dreamwidth's Terms of Service, which forbids material that is illegal under United States law (section XI, subsection 8) or in your own jurisdiction (section II, subsection 2).

(This article was originally posted by Orion Scribner on September 15, 2023 on the Otherkin News blog on Dreamwidth, where you can read and write comments.)

#phantom limb #phantom limbs #phantom limb pain #otherkin #therian #therianthrope #long post

[a-dragons-journal]

I feel this question sounds mean, but I'm not good with words so I don't know how to make it sound nicer. I saw a post you made the other day about experiences you've had as otherkin, and they included things like your phantom limbs having some kind of influence in your surroundings (like a friend being able to see them). Wouldn't that be delusional? How is it different from people who claim to be able to transform physically?

Because a delusion is something that can only be perceived by the person experiencing it, primarily.

I move my supernumerary phantom limbs, someone else reacts to them. What exactly is the supposed delusion in this scenario? The phantom limbs are categorically not a delusion. The other person is responding to a stimulus someone else can also perceive, so that's not a delusion.

It's weird, and I don't have a good explanation for it, but the simple fact that it was someone else "seeing" them unprompted (practicing aura sensing, if you want to get more specific, and "seeing" them in my aura/astral body) and was shared between multiple people in as objective a way as you can get with a nonphysical thing (ie, my physical body very carefully held still and yet me moving my wings back and forth and him being able to track them back and forth, and me being able to watch him track them back and forth, indicating that we were both getting the same stimulus at the same time) makes it not a delusion. And, hell, there are other explanations - maybe I was moving just slightly without realizing, and he was subconsciously taking cues from that, for instance - but the event itself is verifiable by multiple people even if the exact explanation is up for debate.

The automatic doors thing is significantly weirder, and it's not like I've done rigorous testing of it so it's possible it's a coincidence, but again, there's a physical thing that is happening that other people can observe. That's not a delusion. Again: I move my supernumerary phantom limb, an observable physical thing happens (whether or not the two are actually linked by causality). What exactly is the delusion in this scenario? The explanation is up for debate, but the physical event itself is verifiable by other people. (As opposed to p-shifting, which, any p-shifter will do a whole song and dance to avoid giving you any actual evidence of their supposed shapeshifting, because they know it's not actually verifiable. Or when they do, it's something that's definitely not what they're claiming it to be.)

This is not my finest explanation of things because I'm struggling to put this into words, but hopefully it's satisfactory.

#also like. there's the fact that half the problem with p-shifters is the habit of dragging young therians and otherkin into cults #and i am not trying to use either of these things to claim i can teach others secret powers or whatever #it's just a 'huh. weird' thing #but that's beside the direct point of your question so #otherkin #rani talks #asked and answered #anonymous

[strawberrybabydog]

reminder that you are not required to experience every single aspect of being alterhuman to be alterhuman! pseudo-memories and supernumerary phantom limbs dont make you more or less of a "real" alterhuman than anything else does! the most important part of you will always be authenticity and how your unique experiences shape who you are

#woof #alterhuman

[liongoatsnake]

A personal project we want to work on...

Over the past few years we’ve been mulling over the idea of doing a sort of personal case report of sorts detailing our own experiences with phantom limbs and phantom bodies. Specifically writing down how our phantoms behave based on things like standing, walking, laying down, etc as well as other things and see how they differ across the people in our system based on their different theriotypes. And this document include artwork visualizing what is being felt. Some artwork we’ve done in the past while paying with the idea of the project:

The intimidating thing is this project will likely end up being the largest project relating to our personal experiences easily. Between the experimentation/observations, writing everything down, and drawing examples... it will likely end up being a huge project. But that is also kind of the exciting part.

(Also we kind of would love to do similar but on having daemons or what it is like having people in our system who project regularly ... AAAaaaaaa So many things we would love to make.)

#therianthropy #otherkind #fictionkind #alterhumanity #phantom shifting #phantom limbs #supernumerary phantom limbs

[possibly-astraeus]

Please explain therians

OKAY

So the definition of a therian is someone who spiritually identifies as an animal, but STILL PHYSICALLY IDENTIFIES AS A HUMAN!!!

This is not by choice. People who are therians feel connected to the animal in some way, whether that's because they had dreams or shifts of a past life, or they can can connect their behavior to an animal

Shifts are basically little episodes where they feel like and/or act like the animal in which their theriotype is.

There are two kinds of main shifts:

Voluntary Shift

A shift that occurs due to being consciously induced.

Involuntary Shift

A shift that occurs without will or conscious control.

Then, these are split into multiple other kinds of shifts, like the following

Mental Shift (MS or m-shift)

A change in mindset, thinking more like the theriotype.

Phantom Shift (Ph-shift)

Feeling supernumerary phantom limbs or a full phantom body of the theriotype.

Sensory Shift (SE or Se-Shift)

One's senses temporarily become more like that of the theriotype.

Perception Shift (PE-shift)

Perceiving things in a way which is more associated with the theriotype.

Auditory Shift

Experiencing a shift by sounds they notice around them. This can be linked to a sensory shift if oneself's theriotype has a strong hearing ability.

Emotional Shift

Shifting occurs during a certain emotional state, e.g. stress or anger; usually with another type of shift.

Dream Shift (DS or d-shift)

Becoming an animal within a dream, either partially or entirely.

Cameo Shift (C)

Feeling like an animal that is not a known theriotype.

These next ones are more rare ones? I'll be 100% honest. A few of these are new to me.

Aura Shift (A)

The shape or form of an auric field or life energy field changes to that of the theriotype.

Astral Shift (As)

The astral body separates from the physical body, travels to the astral plane, and shifts to the form of a nonhuman animal.

Berserker Shift

Strong emotions push away the human side, including empathy and logical decision-making; can be voluntary and involuntary

Bilocation Shift (Bi)

Therian appears in two locations simultaneously, with the double appearing in the form of the theriotype in the physical plane.

Shadow Shift (SW) / Ghost Shift

Therian sees the animal form around themself as a transparent apparition, or when the appearance seems to change.

Spiritual Shift (S or S-shift)

The spirit takes on the form or shape of the theriotype, while the physical body remains unchanged/

Physical Shift

Human body transforms into the physical shape of another creature; agreed to be impossible.

Envisage / Self-image Shift

Therian's mental image/awareness of themselves changes to closer reflect that of their kintype; similar to a phantom shift, but lacks actual phantom sensation.

Koita Shift

Therian experiences a cameo shift when they look at an animal. An example of this goes as followed: A therian would look at a deer(or other animal) and experiences a phantom shift, mental shift, etc shift, of that deer(or other animal) meaning they feel the appendages of that deer(or animal) like antlers, ears, tail, hooves, etc. This is similar to Cameo shifting.

I know this is a lot(?) Lol

Some therians experience little to no shifts, while some have some every day. Nobody can choose to be a therian, and nobody can choose what animal their theriotype is.

Some therians experience species dysphoria, where they hate what they are and they just want to be their theriotype. But it's different for everyone!

It's very important to research therians and what they are if you're curious, but please, PLEASE stay away from any "am I a therian" quizzes, they are always inaccurate. Everyone experiences being a therian differently, and it sometimes it takes longer for someone to find out if they are one(I've heard of a person that took 2 years to find their theriotype). A quiz will never help you, I learned that the hard way.

Some therians do something called quadrobics or quads for short. It's an actual sport, and here's a video as an example

It's good to keep in mind that a large majority of the people in this community are minors who discovered the term and really connected to it!

And, fun fact, the term "therianthropy" has been used since 1901! The term is first used in the book "The Religious Systems of China" by J.J.M De Groot.

The term has been really popular recently, especially in 2020! There are tons of therians over tiktok, youtube, and probably hundreds of other social media platforms.

I recommend the YouTube channel "Therian Territory" which is ran by an amazing person who goes by Thorn which basically explains what therianthropy is and other stuff!! They really helped me figure out what my theriotype was :).

Hope this helped! Make sure to do lots of research if you can, because I may have gotten some facts wrong. :3

Stay safe and drink water!

All information in bold and italics are copy and pasted from this page.

#the god speaks #looong text post #text post #therian #therianthropy #therian things #video

[beast-named-cyzul]

one of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is how I’m often not perceived as my age (and how I don’t feel like my age either but that’s not what this post is about). Im often mistaken for being younger then I am.

awhile ago I made a post about how I didn’t feel phantom horns when I was younger, but started to once I got older because of course a young dragon wouldn’t have their horns yet.

when thinking about how I’m often perceived as younger my dragon brain will tell me it’s because others can’t see my horns, they see me as young because I lack my horns, my clear sign that I’m an adult of my kind. my more human brain tells me the real reason why humans see me as younger is because my human body is short and young looking (and my piercings and dyed hair probably aren’t helping). If I were to add horns to it human people would probably see that as confirmation that I am younger, probably thinking back to when they saw a teenage cosplayer at the mall once.

still might get myself horns to wear but I’m going to have to deal with them not being the sign of maturity that I’d like them to be.

#supernumerary phantom limbs #phantom shift #otherkin #dragonkin #alterhuman #nonhuman #draconity #draconic

[who-is-page]

The Phantom Limb discourse is so wild to me because like, I used to know someone with a medically recognized supernumerary phantom limb (they had like, an extra phantom arm) like are the people saying this only happens to amputees gonna argue with this person's doctor?

Also notice how literally none of the people arguing against the term phantoms being used has addressed that supernumerary phantom limbs exist outside of the alterhuman community. None of them have acknowledged that even amputees with phantoms are not legitimized purely by PLP (phantom limb pain) nor by intensity.

They're more than happy to tell us we can't use the term, because they're not willing to believe the legitimacy of experience specifically when it comes to alterhumans. Even when we do experience PLP, they ignore or dismiss it. Even when we do have intense phantoms, they do the same. Even if we have both!

They call it "appropriation" to use a term that is accurate and relevant to our experiences, for no legitimate reason other than they find alterhumans' experiences to be less real no matter what, and to therefore be making a "mockery" of non-alterhuman experiences. Notice how if I dropped out of the alterhuman community right now but continued using the same terms-- terms that non-alterhuman trans folks I know offline also use in reference to their phantom genitalia-- then suddenly none of their arguments are relevant to me. Suddenly, I'm magically not appropriating. Funny how that works, huh.

They don't care about being accurate, they care about bending over backwards for respectability politics.

[aestherians]

The funny thing is, some of my phantom limbs (when I do have genuine ph-shifts, which is, admittedly, rare) are textbook supernumerary phantom limbs. I feel like I have an extra pair of arms because, y'know

Which is the exact kind of SPL most studies seem to describe?? I could call them "phantom arms" but that doesn't really take away any of the confusion with PLS. Might as well just call all of it phantom limbs.

#usually i just have envisage shifts and vague tingling sensations #but genuine full phantom shifts do happen

[hidden-among-stars]

3, 6, and 9 for the ask game

Thanks for the ask!

3. How did you realize you were otherkin (therian/theriomythic in my case)? how long have you known? >Well, I've known I was nonhuman for my entire life. I've always experienced the same supernumerary phantom limbs all day, every day, for my entire almost 25 years of existence, and I've always experienced nonhuman urges and behaviors though since I'm in this human body and living in this human world I've needed to learn how to mask pretty much constantly. I didn't learn about the terms otherkin or therian until 2016 (unfortunately from that awful "documentary"), but when I did it was a huge wave of relief to know that I wasn't the only one who was like this. Even then I still sorta felt out of place for numerous reasons, until recently when I discovered the term contherian and was like holy shit that's me!

6. Do you prefer to be seen as your kintype (theriotype in my case) or as a human? >I'd love to be seen as my theriotype, but even in alterhuman spaces it's kind of hard for that to happen when I don't have a name for what my species is and still don't have an exact image of what it is. So I just prefer to be seen as nonhuman or a creature I guess, but definitely not a human lol

9. how much of your life and/or identity would you consider is impacted by being otherkin? >Literally all of it. All of it. My entire life, my entire identity. I spent a lot of my life believing that either I was going to actually turn into something nonhuman someday or that I was crazy because I didn't have any reference to anyone else who felt the same way I did until I came across the therian community. I already mask a lot as it is as someone who's autistic/adhd, and having to mask my nonhumanity constantly on top of that is exhausting and frustrating. I experience a lot of species dysphoria, so that's just another way I'm always impacted by this. I can never be 100% myself around anyone I know in real life because they would think I'm crazy. It's a difficult existence: and yet I wouldn't trade it for anything. Being nonhuman gives me such an interesting view of the world around me and I love being able to see things in a way that others around me don't. I think in some ways, being nonhuman has given me a clearer view on what it means to be human, and that's a pretty beautiful thing.

#therian #ask games