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Interested about if any other critters out there have had experiences with medications impacting shifts in some capacity!
For me, I get hella dog cameo mental shifts when Im on my adhd meds lmao. I have absolutely no idea why, but it's kinda cool ig. Arf arf.
🐅 and 🐞!
🐅 ➤ Sort of? I usually only dress in natural/earthy colors which might be connected to my therianthropy in someway, as for specific theriotypes tho not really. If im feeling particularly connected to my canine types I might wear a tail or dress more masculine, but other than that no I dress pretty much the same all the time.
🐞 ➤ Yep! I have shifts from time to time. Mental, phantom, and dream shifts are the ones I experience. Most of the time they're canine centric.
Mental shifts are pretty uncommon, at least the ones that are actually intense enough for me to realize they're happening lol. I'll have them maybe once every few months. The ways I feel/act depend on what triggered the shift or what environment I was in when it happened, but usually I'll become energetic and more aware of my surroundings, I think less in actual thoughts and more so in basic emotions/instincts, I want to be away from humans and civilization, sometimes i'll have an increased prey drive or become more aggressive, and speaking feels uncomfortable. It's both a fun and annoying experience; fun because i feel more in tune with myself and feel physically stronger, annoying because usually when it happens im not in a place/situation where I can indulge it so I have to ignore it and act normal to the best of my abilities until it goes away.
Phantom Shifts really only happen when I meditate, or my body is otherwise relaxed (like when Im trying to sleep). The most common limb I'll feel are paws in place of my hands, but Ive also felt paws on my feet, a muzzle, wings on my back, and fangs. The best way I can describe how they feel is like wearing a glove or a shoe. Even though it technically isn't part of your body, you can still feel it attached to you, and if someone touched it you'd still be able to feel it.
Dream Shifts are the least common but most enjoyable shifts I have. Oddly, Im rarely physically nonhuman during these shifts, rather Im just able to run on all fours really fluidly, fly, vocalize, and/or in a mental shift mindset. I've always had extremely vivid and lifelike dreams where I can see, hear, and feel almost everything (both a blessing and a curse), so it's nice being able to feel almost fully nonhuman for once.
The whole idea that forcing shifts is bad and something you shouldn't do really irks me ngl. Like yeah, if you're using it as a way to determine kintypes that's definitely not the best route to go down, but with already confirmed kintypes idk what everyone's issue is. Personally, I don't get shifts of any kind too often, so by forcing them, specifically in the case of phantom shifts, I'm able to relieve some of my species dysphoria that I may not otherwise have an outlet for. If anything, I think actively trying to get yourself to shift rather than passively waiting for one to happen (not that there's anything wrong with that) is further proof of your desire to be connected to your nonhumanity.