The Otherkins are a community of individuals who do not consider themselves human and believe that their identity is partially or totally non-human.
Basically they feel that their mind and/or body are mythological beings, disembodied entities or other animals, some examples are angels, vampires, dragons, lions, foxes, elves, aliens, among other identities.
- Members of the otherkin community relate to each other and the rest of the world in a different way.
- Depending on their perceived identity.
- They also have specific initiation rites.
Because they are different, they suffer abuse and discrimination that can lead to certain psychological disorders, which we will talk about in this article.
The term otherkin comes from English and is formed by the fusion of the words other (other) and genus (type, species). Therefore, its literal translation is “other type”.
The Middle English Dictionary (1981) defines otherkin as a different or additional form of another type. Therefore, anyone who identifies as someone else feels that they are different from a human or that there is something different about them.
Therefore, there are other skins, depending on their particular identification, that believe that their differences are spiritual, while others believe that the differences are genetic, some believe that they were born of another species and others believe that they have evolved to a new state. .
On the other hand, many other parents believe in the existence of parallel dimensions or multiple realities, which could explain the possibility of the existence of fantastic, mythological and even fictional beings, thus explaining their existence in the human world.
The attitude of the otherkins depends in large part on the identity they adopt: those who consider themselves elves are allergic to iron, those who think they are vampires are irritated by sunlight.
Some who consider themselves animals are more empathetic and connected to nature, precisely because of their animal instincts, others claim that they have the ability to separate themselves from their bodies to make astral or extracorporeal journeys.
Some push their desire to look atheistic or animal to which they identify, so they undergo plastic surgery to modify their body, all to approach the ideal appearance of the identity they have adopted.
In this way, some of them tighten their teeth to look prey, and others sharpen the tip of their ears to look like elves.
Otherkins are particularly related over the Internet. There are many communities and forums on the subject on Reddit, Tumblr, Facebook, etc. The Otherkin community is very large, more than it looks, and has a lot of online presence.
In these virtual communities, the otherkins are dedicated to providing information about their status and advising new initiates. There are many isolated groups formed by other skins with specific identities, such as a group of dark beings, such as vampires, demons, or dragons.
There are also pages or blogs dedicated to telling you what your daily life is like. There are many websites with informative articles to publicize the otherkin community. There are even stores that sell products in and to the otherkin community.
The otherkin community expressed on the network has no hierarchical organization, but is an interaction between individuals or closed communities, expressing how, why and how they look.
On the other hand, these communities sometimes hold offline meetings, although their interactions are mainly conducted online.
The otherkin are not always aware of the existence of their other identity. They are not aware of their condition until they begin as otherkin. This process is known as a “attention call”.
Therefore, anyone potentially different can recognize themselves as another skin overnight, or during a process of several months or even years.
Many of them, before waking up, find themselves in a difficult situation or an existential twilight, not knowing what the causes of their afflictions are, so recognizing their identity as another skin can be a personal release.
That’s why they feel very comfortable, adopting the appearance and attitudes of the creature with which they identify. There are no two identical awakenings, each living their awakening differently.
This usually happens in adolescence, but can happen at any time in life. Awakening can be caused by a sleep or traumatic experience. This can be a long and difficult struggle or an easy and direct transition.
That’s why the Internet is full of forums and pages that seek to advise and guide the awakening process of the new otherkin, many of whom benefit are teenagers who want to know what’s happening to them and find the support of others who can understand them.
Many psychologists and psychiatrists believe that most members of the outside community may suffer from mental disorders, so we could talk about clinical lycanthropy, bipolarity, schizophrenia and species dysphoria.
However, some of them deny having these disorders. They argue that identification with other beings is a way to know and accept one another, not to escape reality.
Another mental disorder that may be associated with this community is phantom limb syndrome, which involves feeling the existence of a part of the body, even if it is no longer present, especially in the case of amputees.
Some other skins think they have tails, tentacles or a pair of wings, although none of them physically exist.
Some of them may suffer from various disorders not directly associated with their identification with other creatures, such as anxiety disorders, social phobias or obsessive-compulsive disorder, among others, as anyone else may suffer.
Finally, we can emphasize that adopting another identity outside of the human being could be a way to defend against social pressures, so being otherwise can be the way these people manage their anxiety.