hey quick question, how can i encourage phantom shifts without gear or anything cuz my parents are strict?
So firstly I just wanna say, please make sure to stay safe if youre not in a safe place to do any of these things or express your identity. I know it'll be hard but wait until youre in a safe place that you can!
Anyways, here's some ways I get shifts/phantom tail, ears, maw ect. Without using my gear.
1. Music! I have a dedicated Playlist that I play when I want to feel more "dog" its got a lot of songs on there I associate with my theriotype, doesnt have to be about therians to make you feel like yourself!
2. Journaling, doesnt sound like it'll help a lot at first. But I promise it will help in the long run, writing down about how I want to go for walks and feel my paws on the warm tarmac, prancing and running around on a field chasing after a ball. That sort of thing. Obviously change it depending on your theriotype for example, an avian feeling the wind beneath their wings or a wolf smelling pray nearby.
3. If you have your own room/space you can shut yourself in, somehwere big ish I like to just sit like a dog in my office, or practice walking quietly while doing quads, it doesn't have to be jumping or running, walking is just as effective. Only if youre able to do them obvs!
4. Watching documentaries on your theriotype, I follow a few doberman youtubers, but im sure you could find a documentary about yours! I use these to mimic the behavior and learn more about the feelings I have.
5. Collecting plushies, pictures, art ect. This one is more niche just because most therians/alterhumans ect. Don't tend to shift using or focusing on plushies, I personally like having mine around like packmates and enjoy looking after them and protecting them. I also generally have a few plushies I rag around for funsies.
Finally! Clothing, the colour of your clothes and what you wear can really impact how you feel, especially shifts. Before when I wasn't in a safe space to freely wear what I wanted I used to have a couple of very specific necklace/chains and bracelets that I would keep referring to as my "dog mode" stuff over time I felt more connected to them so when id wear them id think hard about my tail moving or my ears moving. The colour of my clothes is also something thats recently helped like having browns and blacks!
Hopefully any of this helps you and maybe others out there! Im always happy to give as much advice as possible! Have a great day creatures!
