Haru'Shimo
- Otherkin -
Mythical Beast
Mythical Beast
Winged Kirin
"The world as you know it barely exists, for you know next to nothing about it."
Posts: 608 
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Post by Haru'Shimo on Oct 24, 2014 1:06:18 GMT
This thread is intended for those who attribute Therianthropy and Otherkin identities to the workings of the brain and psyche, either wholly or in part.
The Goal:
Gather documentation, accounts, theories, and evidence of potential psychological/physiological causes to Therianthropy and Otherkin identification through collaborative research, discussion, testing, and experimentation.
I would like to advise one stipulation to posting theories, however:
- Please provide as thorough reasoning and explanation as possible.
(Anyone can Google search and Copy/Paste things from other sites, and that doesn't help us here. As the mature members of the forums, I'm sure we can manage better than that, and provide at least the reasoning you feel the explanation is valid.) |
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Seraphyna
- Therian -
Standard Animal
Standard Animal
Lion and Reef Shark
Resident Shlion
Posts: 2,085 
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Post by Seraphyna on Oct 24, 2014 1:59:08 GMT
We know the brain is responsible for creating identity as it is not entirely part of the genetic code. Instead, identity is a result of socialization and life experience that our brains form into who we are and a sense of self: books.google.com/books/about/The_Self_Illusion.html?id=mp8Vw29S8KsCBrain injury can change how we perceive our reality, those around us, and ourselves: medscimonit.com/abstract/index/idArt/881381Culture also has a lot to do with one's identity and how it forms: www.maneyonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/105307811805365016Sufficient psychological trauma(s) can change how the brain perceives the self and, thus, one's identity in terms of species, sexual orientation, etc. If this/these trauma(s) happen at a young enough age, they can affect identity at its very stage of formation. Here are some papers that have been published on the subject of therianthropy (as always, interpret as you will. Unfortunately, some you'd have to pay for unless you know someone with a link to the PDF): www.jstor.org/discover/10.1525/nr.2013.16.3.7?uid=3739832&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21104884420107www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15283488.2014.891999?journalCode=hidn20&#previewwww.equinoxpub.com/journals/index.php/POM/article/view/17911Many of the things that are experienced by otherkin can be attribute to the brain: Phantom limbs (while these studies have been done on amputees) clearly link back to the brain. We can see on brain scans areas of the brain lighting up corresponding to feeling in the missing limb(s). brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/brain/121/9/1603.full.pdfThe brain can also explain out of body experiences, also commonly referred to as astral travel. Stimulating a certain part of the brain will result in the individual not being able to properly feel where their body is in space. sploid.gizmodo.com/scientists-unlock-mystery-of-woman-who-sees-herself-out-1538196076Dreams and lucid dreaming are also understood in neurological terms. www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-behind-dreamingLucid dreaming can also be stimulated. www.iflscience.com/brain/scientists-induce-lucid-dreaming-electrical-stimulationSynesthesia (where one experiences overlapping senses) can potentially explain people seeing auras. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120504110024.htmNear death experiences are pretty well understood in neurological terms. The bright light is something that the brain would create as it loses oxygen, loved ones we would expect to see on a psychological level, and that out of body experience thing is likely also due to our brains (see above). www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/Study-On-Near-Death-Experiences-Sheds-Light-On-Consciousness-After-DeathConsciousness itself is likely related to the brain. www.iflscience.com/brain/researchers-may-have-discovered-consciousness-onoff-switch |
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