interaction and tolerance for physical nonhumans
so , maybe good friend just dip toes into new labels , start to express hidden feelings . or maybe just happen to stumble across some stranger who say , yes , body is that of nonhuman creature . what is there to do about all that ? that might seem kind of scary , or like … weird …
will say up front this is more about general respect , regardless of how and why one experience physical nonhumanity , than how to help with delusions if applicable - those answers can vary between folks .
follow lead of how this individual refer to experiences . is this part of religion ? then do not call delusion . is this delusion ? then do not call part of religion . so on and so forth - unless very new to explore , chance is likely already think lots about framework which fit and have reasons why . even if one feel from outside that this is somehow wrong framework , this is almost sure to only frustrate and annoy . if this answer is wrong , there is no way to rush process .
follow lead of how this individual self label , as well . some folks reject person and ask to be creature , some folks reject creature and hold onto person instead . some folks talk about flippers or snouts rather than hands or noses , and may refer to body parts that humans lack like wings or tails . do not make fuss of this - just follow lead .
understand that physical nonhumanity is not equivalent with low safety , low judgment , and high risk . this can be experience for some folks , but not inherently so - physical nonhumanity is also not always source of trouble , and may even help . attempts to bring consensus reality and look out for safety will be - especially as random stranger - unnecessary , insensitive , and possibly even counterproductive .
as friend of physical nonhuman , do not feel afraid to ask what to do in event of distress or danger , and how to identify . bear in mind not all will give details to this - that can be sensitive information , and in some cases there might not be anything to do unless physically beside each other . regardless , try best to follow lead , and not categorise whole identity and experience as danger or distress .
understand that physical nonhumans can reject attempts to treat identity away . medical system is generally horrendous to those with experiences in realm of psychosis and schizophrenia , whether brain is measurably different or not . do not assume that lack of treatment means danger - for some folks , treatment can make life more dangerous and stressful .
understand that short term experiences of psychosis not equivalent to long term experiences . under right circumstances , most anyone can experience psychotic break from severe stress or trauma - these experiences can be extremely painful and dangerous . however , that is not necessarily experience of folks in long term psychosis - long term experience with psychosis can give grasp on plans , limitations , and when to ask for help .
important side note : even if someone truly lack grasp on those things , personal short term experiences will still not necessarily translate into helpful strategies for such individual , and sometimes there will be no way to help - this is failure of system , not individual . society and medical systems can be hard to navigate even inside normative frameworks , let alone those of psychosis - many folks would rather keep independent agency , even if this might put at risk in long term , than give up agency and feel like doctor's pet experiment . there absolutely must be middle ground which allow autonomy with support .
understand that conditional acceptance of physical nonhumans is not fair acceptance . if someone choose to label self clinical zoanthrope and therian , be kind and accept that . if someone reject label of delusion entirely for any reason , be kind and accept that . everyone is in need of community , and everyone can learn from everyone - attempts to uphold arbitrary gates will not help anyone .
understand that no , will almost definitely never get blood and tissue samples to personally verify experience . luckily there is no actual need for that ! would not ask for sample of soul or brain tissue from anyone else to still respect experiences , right ? no reason to treat physical nonhumans this way , then . nothing in personal life will change whether or not receive proof , nor will experiences of physical nonhumans just change on whim .
again , understand that physical nonhumans have frameworks as to why and how this is experience . these frameworks can be as variable as for other alterhuman experiences - religion and delusion , while convenient shorthand , certainly do not cover everything - and can have just as much serious thought and introspection .
finally , understand that to push away " weirdos and crazies " will not earn approval from people who want to hate , only stifle community . when community focus on mainstream appeal , there is less and less room for important discussions , for folks to talk about true experiences , and to violently reject and de-associate from those who " fail " , within smaller and smaller limits until no one is left . appeal is pointless endeavour - learn to embrace .
to read about some of these points more in depth , please see kossai masterpost . :)
