Generally, people begin to notice their theriotype around the ages 10-16. But your theriotype can reveal itself at any age. Many children do act like animals at a young age, but if you have a child that is behaving this way more seriously and frequently than others the child may be a therian. Some people go into denial when they realize the behavior changes, and others are told to stop. One person can go throughout their whole life without admitting about this animalistic side because he or she denies it, or is told that it is not true.
Most people already know what their theriotype is, but there are still folks out there that tell me “Well, I feel like I’m a domestic cat, but I’m not sure…” or “I don’t feel completely human, but I don’t know what I am…” it is very normal for you to ask yourself this. This is one of the most frustrating parts of being a therian. There are ways to help pin point your theriotype.
You can first begin by tracking your behavior. Keep a journal to yourself and jot down all your non-human experiences. If you experience a shift, thought, emotions, anything non-human write it down. Begin to analyze what exactly it is that you behave like. Start researching animals and try to match your behavior to an animal. You can begin to narrow it down by picking a group of species that you feel may be your theriotype. If you noticed in your notes that you are acting similar to a canine, you can begin to look at other canine species. You would continue to narrow this down.
- Canine -> Dog -> Large -> German Shepard
- Canine -> Wolf -> Arctic Wolf
- Feline-> Wild cat -> Large-> Lion
Then begin writing why you believe this is what you may be. For a week or two, identify your theriotype as this animal and see if it feels right to you.
Another thing that is very useful for finding your theriotype is meditation. If you are a psychological therian or a spiritual therian, meditation is an amazing way to try and get ahold of your sub-conscious to figure out what you are.
Theriotype & Confusion
Your theriotype is what you believe your ‘animal side’ is. It is very common for therians who get involved in a community to change theriotypes frequently. This can be difficult, especially for polytherians who believe they are more than just one animal. Many members are often pressured to fit in with the rest of the group. For example, a therian who has always identified a mouse, but feels underestimated or casted aside because most people would laugh it off “Ha? a mouse? ...well, my theriotype is a tiger” now, who wouldn’t be fascinated by a tiger? They are magnificent creatures, beautiful, stunning beings. Because of that people feel the need to impress or show off so therefore they lie to themselves. There are also times when people really like an animal and because of it they think it may be their theriotype. Although really liking an animal can be related to your theriotype, this does not mean just because you like cats that you are a cat therian.
Do not force yourself into a theriotype that is not what you truly feel; be honest to yourself. The instant you find your theriotype, you will know. It is a click, a sense of “These guys are just like me.” In my case, I have always felt canine-like. I thought maybe I was a dog, and while it felt right in some ways but wrong in others and it wasn’t until I opened up a book about wolves did I realize “wow, this is who I am” and from there on it has always been. Now your theriotype may not be as “cool” or as “powerful” as others, but you should embrace your theriotype and you will see that it in fact it is a very magnificent thing.
Understanding your therianthropy is all about being honest with yourself. If you do not experience a sense of animality, do not go comparing yourself with different animals, looking for a connection. The idea is to look for explanations for the experiences you already have. If there's a simpler explanation for your experiences, it's probably the correct one. There is more to Therianthropy than simply constantly picking apart similarities with different animals. See this correspondence for more information.