I've been noticing some confusion in the non-human community regarding physical shifting vs. other types of shifting? I don't know how, but hopefully this can help clear things up.
A phantom shift is the non-physical, tactile presence of a limb, body part, or other appendage. A therian or otherkin phantom shifting may experience nonhuman body parts that can be felt but (typically) not seen overlaid onto their physical human body; it is not a physical transformation. Usually other people cannot see or react to these limbs, and anytime a person does see or interact with them it will be in a metaphysical (spiritual) sense; they have no physical impact upon this world.
(Occasionally a person may report a phantom limb on their body as being more of an absence than a presence, this is normal.)
In contrast, a physical shift is a physical transformation into another form. A shifter physically shifting into another form may experience their physical human body violently or gradually reforming into something else. In a physical shift every part of the physical body has the potential to change, from the organs to the skin of the shifter; it is not an etheric change and people can see you transforming if you shift in front of them.
(Spiritual physical shifters exist, but usually these physical shifts can still be seen/perceived by others and still have effects on the physical body.)
Does the difference matter?
Yes! They're two different experiences, and feel different. Someone experiencing a phantom shift is likely not seeing or experiencing physical changes that lead them to believe they are shifting, and may not find relevant experiences in the physical shifter community. Someone who is experiencing intense physical shifts (organs moving, senses changing, bones shifting) may struggle to relate to someone who is only ever having phantom shifts that they cannot see but feel. They are two different experiences, and conflating the two is likely to lead to errors and problems in how people communicate these experiences.
Phantom shifting has never referred to physical shifting. Even in old community resources you can see there was a clear difference between the two. Phantom shifters were widely accepted, physical shifters were not due to the "impossibilities" of physical shifting. It was never used as a synonym between the two, nor did people ever really conflate them. (The only exception to this would be when some people would use "p-shift" to refer to phantom shift; in those situations it was never intended to refer to a physical shift and was usually quickly corrected or clarified.)
When physical shifters say they shift, do they mean a really vivid phantom shift? Do they believe physical shifting is impossible?
No. Most physical shifters mean it exactly as intended - a physical body change. We're not using it to refer to a phantom shift and, since I've seen this misconception stated: no we never used it because we "know it’s an impossible feat, they just don’t want to admit it"; when we're talking about physical shifts it's entirely literal. How far may be a matter of debate, but we are talking about shifts in this world, not the metaphysical one.
Why do I see some people describe what appear to be phantom shifts as physical shifts?
I've noticed that in the past, some (such as some clinical zoanthropes) would talk about their shifts and complain that they couldn't be seen by others, which might have spurred confusion? However, these people were still claiming a physical shift, still felt they were physically or genetically nonhuman, and still treated their limbs and/or body as if they were physically there. It wasn't simply a phantom shift, but experientially a physical shift they or others couldn't see. They still believed 100% they were genetically nonhuman, and that they maybe retained some nonhuman traits or had their true physical nature hidden from humans but that it was physically there. They still had physical effects from their shifts, such as physiological effects (intolerances to foods their species couldn't eat, shifting pains, etc.) or somatic shifts. Some also claimed that their limbs while invisible still affected this world (such as scratching a wall with their unseen claws and leaving actual claw marks on said wall). This is different from a therian/otherkin phantom shift which is generally acknowledged to not be physically there.
Hopefully this helps clarify some things! Both are valid phenomena, but they're not interchangeable.
I welcome the growing acceptance of "weird" or "scary" folk in the nonhuman and alterhuman communities: the factkin, the object- and conceptkin and of course, physical nonhumans. I myself am a werewolf holothere, most of our system are holotheres and I interact with other physical nonhumans on a regular basis.
But recently, I have been observing a push towards the acceptance and "reclaim" of the word p-shifter/p-shifting - and this is worrying me. I want to write an elaborate post, shedding light on the roots and origins of this term and why I think it isn't a good choice to label yourself this way. I will back my claims up as good as I can, but there are quite obviously no studies on this and the general amount of archived sources is also quite low, because it is in the nature of toxic and manipulative behaviour to happen in the privacy of (long gone) servers or in DMs. So, I will have to resort to use personal experiences and anecdotes as my main sources - that's not ideal, I am aware.
Also, two things before you reblog, comment or otherwise agree/disagree with me: 1) none of this is at all about the validity and subjective realness of individual experiences, only about this specific term being used; and 2) please make sure you read this carefully and wholly. If I find you just try to twist my words, I will just ignore and block you. I also mean exactly what I say, there is no need to look for an "undertone" or "hidden opinions".
All of my sources will be linked at the end in chronological order of usage. Footnotes are numbered in [brackets], scroll to the end to find them.
1) Roots, original usage and meaning
Pinpointing the exact time at which the term was coined is pretty much impossible, but the earliest mentions I found go back to the early 2000s - namely, there is Swiftpaws Real guide to P-shifting from 2004 which mentions the term p-shifting in a way that suggests it has been more or less widely known at that time. Acoording to the alterhuman wiki, the term originated alongside the therian-community in the early 2000s, even on the same website as they did (but it doesn't mention which website that was). Based on what I've observed with my own eyes on this website [1] and backed up by various forum posts I found, the term p-shifting always referred to those who claimed the following things: 1) They have literal, tangible, objectively Real [2] physical shapeshifting abilities, 2) they do not experience delusions at all [3]. Finding old posts by p-shifters is almost impossible, I know a lot of blogs no longer exist, so I have to go off my memory here and also what @a-dragons-journal (hope you don't mind the ping!) has talked about on their blog many times, but I also know that a lot of them claimed to be able to teach others how to shift [4], which usually resulted in pack-like structures, with a few elite leaders who also functioned as "teachers". Another claim I have seen many times is how they had to prepare for a "war" or straight-up "the end of the world", but I have to admit, the last few points are not something every p-shifter I've seen talks about.
To hopefully provide some solid proof, have qoutes from a few self-proclaimed p-shifters:
by @/thefirstfamilypack: "We are not people with lycanthropy [CLCZ], we are actual physical shifters. This is a totally different community than those who have clinical lycanthropy or mentally "identify" with someone that's not "human" such as otherkins. We never claimed to be that, that's a whole different thing." "If you don't have the genes for it then sorry you're not a shifter."
by @/h-micideinthemirror (apparently deactivated, found a reblog of a post by them): "I'm so fucking tired of seeing therians talk shit about actual nonhumans [...] I'm not delusional [...] I'm just a person, who happens to be a wolf."
by @/harloqui: "However, I 100% agree with the message towards delusional alterhumans. [...] What shifters can do you cannot [...]"
by @/stonedlycanthrope (as a reply to an ask about how they knew they aren't experiencing delsusions): "I had 2 friends tell me the exact same thing [...] I had shifted in my sleep and [...] she stepped on my tail trying to get over me is what she told me." -> this is exactly what I mean when I say they make claims their shifting is Real.
There are so so many more, just go to thefirstfamilypack's blog and dive deeper from there. What you will find is the exact same rethoric I talked about, over and over again: "We are ACTUAL nonhumans, we are NOT delusional, we can ACTUALLY shift, etc etc" - I hope you also noticed the casual arrogancy towards otherkin and therians.
In conclusion: p-shifting originally referred to tangible, Real physical shifting, while vocally, aggressively excluding delusional folk and looking down on them (and otherkin as well).
I might add more on how exactly folk were hurt in these packs later on, but currently don't have the energy for that. I believe outlining the inherently probelmatic stances of the og shifter communities should be enough to support my point for the time being.
2) Why you can't reclaim the term
Now let's get to the actual point of this post - the push towards reclaiming the term p-shifter. By definition, reclaiming a term describes "a word that was at one time pejorative but has been brought back into acceptable usage, usually starting within its original target, i.e. the communities that were pejoratively described by that word [...]" - in simpler terms, the community that was originally negatively targeted by the term in question can reclaim it by using it in positive way to describe themselves. This is by definition not possible with the term p-shifter: in order for delusional folk to reclaim this term, it would have had to be a deragatory word to describe delusional folk, which it never was. Yes, the community looked down on delusional people, but the term itself actively excluded CLCZ and similar beings. Generally speaking, the term was never a slur used for anyone, it was always a positive and self-choosen term, created by the community for themselves. You cannot reclaim this term by definition.
"But what if we just change the definition to something positive, so anyone can use it?"
That is not a good idea for several reasons. I want to specifically quote @/a-dragons-journal and @who-is-page (hope you don't mind the ping!) for this one:
a-dragons-journal: "[...]using the word is still making it sound like you're making a physical claim. [...] This is admittedly not the best parallel [...] but it's a little like trying to "reclaim" the word TERF by changing it to mean something somehwat similar but ultimately different, and then being surprised people assume you're a transphobe and treat you as such."
who-is-page: "[...] You can't erase the history of the term [...] and the ways in which it's been used (and, most importantly, continues to be used!) to hurt others. [...] You can't reclaim [...] the terms "anti-otherkin", or the zeta symbol [...] because they're still being used by the cummunities who originally coined them to mean what they were intended to mean. [...] There is no way to seperate the people who are 'reclaiming' it and those who are just... Using it. [...] Also, thinking more on it, it's kind of fucked up for someone to try and steal another communitie's terms and forcibly redefine them? Like, we critcize that all the time in the otherkin and therian communities, and that's not exactly a one-way street. [...]"
Please take the time to fully read both of the posts, I have linked them below with everything else!
But they both really get the point accross in my opinion.
I hope now anyone can see why anyone should be wary of those who use p-shifter as a term: either they are completely unaware of the terms history and thus, should really do more research before advocating for the usage of a term they know nothing about. Or, and that's the worse option, they are aware of everything I listed above and either secretly agree with it, or just don't care. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to be associated with beings who advocate for a term that has an inherently harmful, ableist history and is STILL actively used in that way.
Calling me ableist for refusing to accept the usage of this term is absolutely pathetic.
P-shifters have harmed and continue to harm delusional folk, spit down on them, disrespect them and put themselves above them. Why on EARTH would advocating for the usage and acceptance of this term be a positive thing? How would that help?
It won't.
------------------------------------
Footnotes
[1] I joined the community roughly in 2016, most of the posts I saw back then on p-shifters and by p-shifters were from around that or a few years older.
[2] When I write "Real" or "Reality" with a capital R, I am referring to the shared reality all people experience. Unlike subjective reality, you (technically) need to provide proof to claims you make that refer to Reality.
[3] Moreso, they often held very ableistic beliefs, spitting down on "the crazy ones", aka. folk with delusions. They put themselves above them, claiming they were "actually shapeshifting" and not "just delusional".
[4] The rest usually claimed it was based on DNA. I don't know percantages on this, but from what I have seen, I would say at least half of them claimed to be able to teach (or claimed they learned from someone, which supports the same stance from a different pov).
Sources
Swiftpaw's Tree
Shifters, often referred to as "P-Shifters," are individuals who subjectively experience or believe in the possibility of literal, physical
Rani | They/them, it/its, dre/drem/dris | Gray-aro ace | Witch | All posts okay to reblog unless...
💬 0 🔁 3 ❤️ 10 · So, I've been the alpha of the pack and recreated the pack tumblr for not even 2 days now and assholes are trying to talk
💬 0 🔁 7 ❤️ 17 · ^^^^
💬 0 🔁 2 ❤️ 6 · I'd like to add reality shifting is exactly that- day dreaming. Its absolutely not physically shifting in any form. If you
💬 0 🔁 14 ❤️ 17 · Lol please don't mistake me for being part of First Family Pack or as someone looking to "turn" or convert others. I have
💬 1 🔁 0 ❤️ 7 · You mentioned in an older ask that you knew you weren't a clinical lycanthrope because a friend stepped on you. If you don'
💬 2 🔁 38 ❤️ 79 · how are endels okay but physical shifters aren’t? make it make sense
Endels are, by the nature of it being a term tied t
💬 0 🔁 16 ❤️ 41 · hi! just want to uuh . note? i guess? that the p-shifters that started the. I guess discourse?? are reclaiming the term.
on one of your posts, you mentioned a "process" pshifters have made as a guide to pshifting. what is that process? could you share it?
thanks!
Of course I'll be glad to share! Obviously it's just a guide to follow to help you p-shift, most people move on to do their own thing and p-shift without it. Also please do note that this isn't the exact replica of like a process within the community, this is an elaborated version that is inspired and mostly drawn also from my own experiences and extra reading I have done thar has worked for me.
(Whole thing under cut, it's long)
So the most basic process you will find is PhMP, which was a method initially developed and named by Phenexus Weyr (as far as I know). It means mental, phantom, and then physical (all out of order which is ANNOYING.)
Obviously you need to find out what the hell you are before you can even think about p-shifting. Figuring out your identity is so much more important in the long run then p-shifting. Your identity will last forever, and p-shifting can consist of less than 1% of a shifters whole life.
Search, research, attempt to mental shift, and repeat until you find out what works for you. The most important part out of this is to remember that you can do whatever you want forever. Figure out you might be something else but have already mental shifted? Just start over! It's okay it's not like it's a race.
First, once you understand your identity, you will then mental shift, like fully.
There is indeed a difference between mental shifting itself, and doing it fully. Sometimes, others animal selves are extremely repressed / is very weak, and mental shifting helps strengthen that bond and eventually fully m-shift. When you ffully do so, this is usually from years of work to a point where you no longer can recognize your past and future self being the same people mentally.
Some people do though, fully mental shift at a young age (very rarely as far as I know) and don't need to do this step at all.
Next, there's phantom shifting, which can be done at the same time as mental shifting. The main goal here is to get incredibly good at completely feel your animal phantom over your body (from what I remember) with ease. It has been argued though that phantom shifting is unneeded, so do it if you feel like you do need to.
And finally physically shifting is the last step, and it takes years for your average shifter to even think about being close enough to reach this goal. The most common signs I have ever seen for when someone is successfully ready to p-shift is when they begin to get long, animal-like hairs on their body that are just like their animal. Usually. I've only seen it 3, 4 times with successful p-shifters. I've also had it, but haven't p-shifted just yet. Other things may include more dream shifts and even shifting in your dreams (I had a partial p-shift irl that was also in my dream and I could feel it. It woke me up though and stopped the shift)
P-shifting at the end of the day, to me, is something that not everyone can accomplish and isn't even that big of a role in being nonhuman, a shifter, a shapeshifter, a supernatural, a werewolf, whatever. It's euphoric, it's amazing, but it also can become obsessive and toxic to people.
I'm not going to deny or try to hide it - p-shifting can easily lead into a rabbit hole of obsession, apathy, disconnection, misanthropy, and escapism. You must watch yourself while following this journey, because it's just too easy to slip into toxic territory with shifting. Anything that allows escapism, can be abused. (Drugs, alcohol, reality shifting, overeating, overconsumption of social media, etc.)
A life lesson to everyone here - check yourself to make sure you aren't trying to escape or cope by using things that allow escape from your life, even if it's a part of your identity. Anything can fall away and become sour if you don't establish healthy boundaries with yourself.
Take breaks, check yourself, breathe, and reroute yourself back to healthy ways of coping. I promise you can both p-shift and be healthy about it, like I am! (At least, I'm trying my best here)
Thank you for asking anon! I hope this answered your question accurately ♡
As always, you can also do your own research if you know where to look. I'll be happy to share some resources if enough people ask!!
And finally if any other p-shifters remember something different / would like to add on, please do. It's incredibly helpful to have a second word and opinion ♡♡♡
~ Le mot anglais "shift" signifie en français "changement / transformation" ~
Le shift signifie le moment où une personne thérianthrope va connaitre une variation de son humanité.
~ Cela est également valable pour les personnes otherkins ~
L'humanité de la personne va, à degré variable, céder place à sa non-humanité. L'expression de ses actes, ses pensées et ses instincts seront régis par "ses pulsions animales".
Attention, la personne concernée garde toujours un contrôle de son corps.
Il ne s'agit pas d'un trouble dissociatif de l'identité (TDI) ou d'une quelconque multiplicité. L'animal et l'humain ne font qu'un. La personne n'est pas contrôlée par une entité quelconque. Il s'agit simplement d'une traduction de l'animalité de l'individu.
~
Le shift est différent chez chacun d’entre nous. Il peut être induit par un sentiment ou une émotion forte (grande joie, colère, peur...) et peut s'exprimer de manière fluctuante tant par le degré d'animalité que par la durée du shift.
Tout dépend l'individu et de la situation.
Le shift n'a pas besoin d'être extrême ou impressionnant pour être réel. Le shift peut être très discret, tranquille et silencieux. Rappelons le : le shift n'excuse jamais la violence. C'est important de se le rappeler.
Le shift ne nécessite pas une perte totale de l'humanité du shifteur. Celui-ci peut très bien garder un grand self contrôle et agir de manière résonnée.
S'il y a vraiment une part non-humaine qui prend littéralement le contrôle de votre corps, je vous conseil de consulter ou d'en parler à votre médecin traitant. Il peut s'agir de lycanthropie clinique.
Voici les shifts les plus connus :
Shift (shift-mental) :
Un shift mental est une variation de l'humanité. La plupart du temps, il désigne le moment où le côté "non-humain" de l'individu prend le dessus. La personne pense/agit alors comme l'animal auquel elle se sent liée. (Attention, le shift n'est ni une excuse à la violence, ni une raison pour faire n'importe quoi.)
Shift fantôme :
Ou la sensation d'un "membre fantôme surnuméraires". Ce mot signifie la sensation de posséder un membre que notre corps humain physique ne possède pas. La personne peut alors ressentir des ailes, de la fourrure, des nageoires, des cornes etc. pendant une durée variable. Les 3,5/4 du temps, ces sensations sont en lien avec son identité animale (un therian hibou qui ressent des aigrettes, un thérian lion qui ressent sa crinière etc.)
Shift sensoriel :
Sensation d'avoir les capacités sensorielles de son thériotype. Un thérian chien aura, par exemple, la sensation d'avoir un meilleur odorat et une moins bonne vue. Cependant, le shift sensoriel ne donne pas physiquement de vrais capacités à maîtriser son ouïe, son odorat, sa vue, son touché et son goût. Toute fois, avoir certaines capacités sensorielle (bon odorat, par exemple) peut pousser un individu à s’identifier à un certain type d’animal !
Shift onirique :
Il s'agit du moment où la personne alter-humaine va faire un rêve où il se comporte, pense ou se change en son thériotype. On parle de shift onirique uniquement quand le rêve était très intense.
Caméo-shift :
Il s'agit d'une expérience où la personne therianthrope va shifter en une autre créature que celle à laquelle elle s'y identifie. Une personne non thérian ou non alter-humaine peut également en faire l'expérience (shapeshifter). Cela peut être lié à une cause psychologique, à une cause ésotérique, à de la méditation ou encore à un animal guide (à ne pas confondre avec la therianthropie).
Shift physique :
Soit la capacité de se transformer littéralement en son thériotype. Cela est juste impossible (malheureusement).
~
Enfin.
Il existe également toutes sortes d'autres shifts, cette fois plus ésotériques.
Prenons par exemple le shadow-shift soit un shift de notre ombre (qui prendrait la forme de notre thériotype).
Ou encore le shift de notre aura (ce qui expliquerai pourquoi certains petits enfants ou animaux arriveraient à reconnaître les personnes therianthropes).
...
Cependant, l'existence de ces shifts n'a pas toujours été acceptée par toutes les communautés anglophones de personnes-animales (du à l'aspect surnaturel de ces variations).
Merci d'avoir lu.
Si vous avez des questions n'hésitez pas à me contacter !
Hey, minor PSA, but if you see someone (on here or on discord) telling you that...
Shifting will lead to you killing someone (because you become a monster and eat everything in your path)
Spirit possession is the only way to become a shifter and it'll likely kill you
That werewolves only partially shift, or can't shift much more than a man with claws or that guy from the movie Split
Vampires are called vampru, werewolves were created by raping women, and supernatural creatures defend magical power lines that could destroy the world
That anyone who claims to be a full animal shifter, or not possessed but still a shifter is lying
That they can turn you or make you into a real supernatural (by going to the astral and selecting a spirit for you to get possessed by)
They're lying or misinformed. Don't get spooked by their claims, you will not hurt anyone while shifted, you don't have to be possessed by a spirit to be a shifter, and you're not going to be chased down by supernatural beings for shifting. If people were being turned into supernatural beings and killing people we would know (a weird string of killings would attract attention, especially if people got away) and if that were the case, they wouldn't be handing out the ability unless they wanted to turn other people into murderers. Either way, they're not good people.
Now, spirit possession can lead to shifter-like experiences (some spirits can cause people to shift partially) but they still don't shift fully, they aren't generally considered shifters, they don't directly lead to people's deaths, and they don't actively harm people in the way this person is claiming. If you're thinking about harming people due to a spirit, it might be a good idea to see a therapist or confide in a trusted person before assuming you're going to shift. And you don't need them to get possessed (positively or negatively), read up on spiritualism or mediumship to channel one, if you really want to.
The astral is also not off limits; you can astral project anytime and learning how isn't too hard. You don't need them to pick a spirit for you.
This person also claims that they and their friends have proof of their experiences, but it's extremely poor quality, and not something a person couldn't pull off with fake fangs and editing. It's dark images of them baring their teeth, or of them dubiously shifting their bodies in ways anyone could replicate.
(I would normally be a bit more cautious with showing a shifter's shifted form, but there's barely anything there to censor, and they've posted this publicly. Also if shifters are so dangerous, and cameras can be affected just by them being near, how do you have a picture of one? And why hasn't anybody else noticed the people intangibly altering technology and cameras around them?)
(I've amended my Tall Tales and Proof of Shifting essay to address this.)
This looks like the making of a cult - they set you up to believe you're going to die from the shift, so when you inevitably survive you feel stronger and more special than anybody else, plus they like to accuse the rest of the supernatural community of mental illness whenever confronted with even reasonable skepticism, so I don't want anybody to get hurt from it. They sneak behind server mods and will DM you directly to offer the chance to be turned; dismiss them and call them out whenever possible. Stay safe out there!
I have a question! You have stuff saying you practice p-shifting in your bio, could I have more info about that? I've heard it mentioned before but know very little.
Of course! Recently I havent been practicing as much, and Im currently going through a phase of reteaching myself certain important values (yet again lol) but I'll try my best to tell you a bit more.
P-shifting is basically the form (or practice) of physically changing into an animal. Its widely believed to be taboo, but if you know where to look you will find plenty of help if you are looking to accomplish it.
I practice physically shifting into an animal, and theres plenty of structured ways to go about it. (Such as PhMP, Blaze's method, etc.) I currently have been practicing more therianthropic ways of mentally shifting and sort of lost touch with physically shifting, so Ill be getting back to it as soon as my power turns back on and I have the time to delve deeper once again. (Currently my whole city has no power, im currently at a casino writing this-)
Theres this idea that its very harmful and dangerous, but in honesty I personally have never had to deal with it being very harmful and/or dangerous to me or my mental health. In fact, before it I was very mentally ill, so its been a journey of healing and self-discovery. I feel like its taught me how to care for myself, accept myself and how I look, and be present to who I am and where I am in the moment. (Sounds counterintuitive, but after all of this time I have gotten here lol)
I have read that its very cult-like, and teaches people to do horrible, nasty stuff - but I've been lucky to never have to deal with it. Im so, very sorry for anyone who has. As long as you critically think, take the time to understand and conceptualize what you are doing, and take it slow, most likely you wont hurt yourself by practicing it.
People can be very misguiding and can hurt you if you arent careful, but know that physically shifting shouldn't hurt you in such a way that you will have to heal, put you in danger, or go to the hospital. You do not need anything to physically shift either. (No spells, no eating raw meat, no cutting yourself, no starving yourself, no getting bitten or meeting up with strangers, etc. Anyone who tells you anything of the sort is wrong, or is trying to manipulate you.)
Of course, not everyone can have bad intentions, but please be weary and keep your head screwed on tight when you are learning new things about p-shifting in general. Fantasy and the real world can be very, very easily blurred together with this sort of topic. If it seems dangerous, then listen to yourself and simply don't do it. There is always another way.
Its kinda difficult to necessarily explain it in a way for anyone to understand well - its really your journey and is something that you have to go and find out yourself from finding other resources. I guess you could say its like therianthropy, but we physically shift instead. Of course, theres more differences, but thats the most basic way to explain it.
you can still be physically nonhuman if you were awakened to your identity through the internet (like me!)
You can still be physically nonhuman if it takes you a long time to shift
You can still be physically nonhuman if you always knew since you were young
You can still be physically nonhuman if you don't know why you shift or how it works
You can still be physically nonhuman if you believe that there is no way to logically explain your shifts
You can still be physically nonhuman if you believe you cannot change your form from human
You can still be physically nonhuman if you are growing limbs of your creature
You can still be physically nonhuman if you want to look like a hybrid between nonhuman and human
You can still be physically nonhuman if you figure out you are clinical/delusional. (I don't know too much about being clinical so sorry!)
You can still be physically nonhuman if you believe in p-shifting
You can STILL be physically nonhuman if you have multiple different creatures/species
You can still be physically nonhuman if you are a therian, or otherkin
Do what you want forever people!! They are just labels!! There is no set guidelines to be physically nonhuman, do what feels right to you and embrace it!
