species-dysphoria, can also lead to therians experiencing shifts as negative experiences too. Shifts are normally experienced in a state of consciousness, although dream shifts (in which a therian might actually believe they have the body of their theriotype) are an exception to this. Some therians attribute their knowledge of their own therianthropic identities to their experiences of shifting. For example, a wolf therian might begin to identify as a wolf after experiencing dreams in which their body takes the form of a wolf. The therian community is generally considered to be a subculture of the otherkin community, which consists of individuals who identify as or connect with any fictional or non-fictional being. However, unlike otherkin, therians do not identify as fictional beings, and the two movements are culturally and historically distinct. See also Kindama Banjhakri and Banjhakrini Cynanthropy Human–animal hybrid Kelpie Kitsune Nagual Selkie Shapeshifting Skin-walker Supernumerary phantom limb Theriocephaly Werecat Werewolf Werewolf fiction Werehyena Werejaguar Wererat Zoomorphism References External links