Therianitis

If you think you might be therian, approach this matter in a serious, introspective fashion. Often, our hearts and minds play tricks on us. When considering your potential therianthropy, beware of therianitis, a tongue-in-cheek term describing therians who give in to flights of fancy or fail to contextualize their therian identity within their current life.

All the talk of shifting and animal forms might call to mind popular fiction, but it’s important to avoid thinking of yourself and your potential therioside in those terms.

Life, after all, is not a young adult fantasy novel. Therians and otherkin often get accused of escapism. While we all romanticize our theriosides to some degree, and often yearn to embody it, we still live in the real world and operate by its laws.

Our theriosides do, too. Any memories or inklings of your theriotype will likely lack the dramatic fictional flair that some might expect. In fact, you might find your therioside boring, to some degree. The narrative of your therianthropy might be a bit muddled and incoherent.

You’re unlikely to have the story of your therioside spring into your mind fully-formed with a beginning, middle, and end. Those therians whose “story” seems very linear, dramatic, and clear are likely mistaken.

Connection to the Other is rarely that simple, and real life operates differently than fantasy fiction. Things don’t follow tidy story arcs, and no one is an archetype in real life.

There’s also the matter of wishkinning.

Wishkinning is exactly what it sounds like. It’s wishing you were kin to a different creature than your actual therioside. Omnitherianism aside, it can also include purely human individuals wishing to be therians or otherkin.

I would estimate most therians go through a period of wishkinning during their awakening. Just entertaining the idea that one might be something other than human sparks the imagination, often in beautiful ways. However, if you don’t guard against wishkinning, you might get stuck in a fantasy mire of your own creation.

Therians do not choose their theriotypes. Nevertheless, ask yourself: if you could pick, what would you want your therioside to be? After all, everyone has a favorite animal. This is true of therians, too!

In many cases, therians (before awakening) will gravitate towards their theriotype in this respect. In some instances, however, your favorite animal might not be your therioside. In fact, your real therioside may be a creature that you find a bit boring!

My favorite animal will always be the shiba inu dog, but I am not a canine therian. I’m an otter. I love otters, but there are times when I wish my therioside were a canine. This kind of configuration is quite common! It can lead to trouble for an awakening therian.

Searching and introspective processes have told me that no, I’m not canine, not a wolf or fancy show dog. To me, being an otter is less exciting than potentially being a shiba inu or coyote, but embracing my otter theriotype feels comfortable and enriching.

If you think you’ve found your theriotype, continue interrogating yourself.

What early memories do you have of this animal? Could something from your childhood have led to a fondness for them? Do you simply wish you were a wolf because wolves are majestic and strong? Do the traits of the animal relate to your current personality, or do they represent what you would like to be?

These are not easy questions, and may lead to some sketchy places in your consciousness. Exploring the shadows of your mind will help to guard against wishkinning.