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CelticMagician — Re: Psychological Stigma?
Published: 2010-05-14 04:03:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 687; Favourites: 2; Downloads: 13
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Therianthropy is a big mystery to begin with. Let's face it, this "condition" if I may call it that, is very hard to prove or disprove, but could it be psychological? Yes. There is a very big possibility there.I consider myself to be on the more spiritual side of things when it comes to my own experiences with therianthropy, but I am willing to accept that this whole thing may be psychological as well. I really don't see a problem with it being viewed in that light.
The truth of the matter is, is that the human mind is like a complex puzzle, one that we don't fully understand yet. Who is to say that therianthropy isn't a result of some sort of neurological enigma that happens in the way our brains function. It's a conceivable notion.
In fact, there are a number of therians and otherkin that believe their therianthropy is just that. Some even go as far as to claim that the "therian mind" may be a lesser, or functional form of clinical lycanthropy.
So why don't more therians look at the psychological standpoint? Well, I think in some cases, the reason is that it may be "safer" to consider it a spiritual thing rather than psychological. Like your question states: it's often viewed as a mental illness otherwise, leading to more negative attention.
Another reason why therians may take the spiritual side over the psychological, is because it "feels" that way.
For instance, I am fully aware that I am human all 'round, but there is a deeper part of my being that feels more wolf than human. It's that "feeling" inside that makes it difficult to connect therianthropy with a function in the brain (though I personally am willing to admit that there may be a connection).
But are spiritual therians actually afraid to admit that their therianthropy may be psychological? I think overall, that really depends on the person. Again, I can only give my standpoint on the matter. Maybe some therians agree with me, maybe some therians don't, it all depends on who you talk to.
However, I hope my view on the matter was at least somewhat insightful to readers. This is a very deep and complex topic to discuss, and more than one person will share different opinions on the matter. I hope this question receives more feedback in the long run.
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Comments: 9
Beautiful! It's always wonderful to hear people talk about therians and psychology. Consider this though dear, even spiritual issues are psychological issues. Psychology is the study of the human mind, which is the basis of our behavior. So, when considering if therianthorpy is a "condition" you have to take into account cognitive function, ethnicity, religion, innate characteristics, and learned behavior. So I believe it must be a psychological issue, and I am a therian but take no offense to that. Everything we do it caught up in the complex infrastructure that is the human mind. I personally take a more cognitive and logical side to therianthropy. That's just my personality. I didn't only have dreams, I analyzed them. I didn't only think of the animal, I studied it. I see it as a science of what your brain and feelings relate to so strongly that you know, in my case through experience and research, that it IS you. It's part of who you are and what defines you. Which is very important to people. The process of life is filled with trying to figure out what we are. Sexually, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It's something we need to figure out by the time we're about 50 because that's the stage of life where we reflect on who we are and if we have been useful and productive in our world. I really enjoyed your piece, it made me think, which is always a wonderful thing. Please submit more I would absolutely love to see what you think, feel, and find out on your personal journey of life.
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Thank you so much. And I agree with what you have stated an am fully aware of it. :3
I apologize for using the word "condition" it was for lack of a better word, and meant no offense by it.
I loved reading about how you view therianthropy. I always enjoy reading about how people study and experience things for themselves.
Thank you again, for the feedback and everything else. It's greatly appreciated and I'll do my best to contribute more if I can.
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a mix of the two, in theory it could be a mental thing, but still how can such a occurence occur, sure enough there would be a known genetic disorder for this spcific thing, there is enough people who know about this sort of thing, i mean its only a click away on the internet to find out as long as they dont read the fluffy side of things. I am draconic in silence i am finding my wings still, even if im not truely that then i will continue to study stuff like this, Its something diffrent from 'god didit...' a view point that is very very... dull, eitherway i support otherkin/therian!
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Actually, even if a lot of people experience something out of the ordinary mentally, there may not be a specific diagnosis for a disorder. For example, I was born with a learning disability that many people have had in the past (visual-spatial organization, or non-verbal learning disorder), bust wasn't discovered until about five years ago. Myself and others who had the disorder were often misdiagnosed because some of the symptoms almost mirror those found in people with ADD/ADHD, but the two disorders are very different in themselves. That, and therianthropy isn't widely researched by credible sources solely because of the fluff (unfortunately), so there really isn't anything out there that is a proper "diagnosis" as a result just because we're not taken seriously. I'm also not dismissing the spiritual aspect of therianthropy. Like I stated myself, I do look at it more from a spiritual standpoint, but I see the point of those who see it as a psychological enigma. People also experience therianthropy in different ways, so I'm not saying "no you're wrong!" That would be a very rude and very unjust thing for me to do. You say you have more self-exploring to do? That is awesome! And I hope you figure out your therioside in due time.
Thank you for your feedback. :3 It's greatly appreciated.
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no problem thanks for taking time to write a well thought out reply (didnt know what else to say...)
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You're very welcome. 
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I agree, I guess I take a more psychological standpoint in general, though I guess it is spiritual for me as well, since it's such an integrated part of who I am. I think some people take the spiritual aspect too far when it comes to therianthropy. Although I don't disbelieve the possibility of reincarnation and the connection that many therians draw to it, I think it can sometimes mislead some people to search for "memories" that aren't really there.
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I'm in the same boat as you.
And yes, in some cases (not all) it is true that people take it too far with the spiritual side. I had a friend who got really touchy about the subject, stating that you'd have to disregard therianthropy as a whole if you don't believe it spawned from a reincarnation aspect. I pulled him aside and explained that what he's thinking isn't always the case, and tried explaining what the therians who looked at the psychological side of things were getting at. He understood after, but was still relatively miffed. This is why I say it depends on who you talk to. Every person is different.
Thanks for the feedback. :3 For a while there, I thought I had done something wrong by stating my slightly controversial opinion.
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Nope nope, you're not alone. I know Wolf Van Zandt tends to lean towards the psych opinion as well, though he thinks genetics may be involved with the psychological tendency. I talked to him about it once, but it's been a while.
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