#physically shifting

[pshiftcultureis]

P-shifter-culture-is asks:

Should we make a resource list? we have a lot of sources but it feels conflicting to our blog intro. Let us know.

yes please!

no thanks i like the blog as is

Voting ended onNov 22, 2025

We have been getting a LOT of asks about p-shifting resources. We are aware as p-shifting gains more traction and less stigma that people are curious about it and we want to help out the best we can to our anon askers.

If the result is yes: we will make a masterlist, revise our intro blog, and allow those offering more resources to send in confessions.

If the result is no: we will make no changes and continue to delete those who ask for resources.

Please please reblog for spread. Itll help out a lot!

[harloqui]

Jfc let me touch this before some weird conspiracy theory pops up

On the whole debacle, since it's revving up-

• Silvër and her pack (what everyone is calling "the p-shifters of 2020") are not All P-shifters Ever, and were disliked by other members of the community. She deleted and remade because other shifters were getting on her case, and eventually went silent because she was unable to handle the pressure. Her pack has never been "every p-shifter", nor does every shifter agree with her opinions.

- Additionally, most shifters don't approve of abusers or cultists in the community. It's why Silvër was ran out of it, along with other abusers. It's why when dodgy people appear shifters tend to avoid them or disperse elsewhere, and why shifters do warn others about cults and unhealthy groups.

• "P-shifting has never been used in a derogatory sense": It is literally considered a trait of "fake therians" in some spaces. It is not a positive thing in the therian and otherkin community to be a p-shifter. People get banned for claims of p-shifting. People literally refused to interact with Xem directly because the post was made by a p-shifter. This is the definition of derogatory.

• Reclaiming a term: if by "reclaiming" you mean "using it in a way that isn't abusive" then actually yeah, I don't have an issue with that. Which is what I've seen most who want to reclaim the term want to do so for. Like, p-shifting doesn't inherently equal abuser - there's multiple groups who have used the term without forming unhealthy groups or packs, so it's not inherent to p-shifting as a concept. (See the Were vs. Therian debate and Social Media Sites part of The Shifter Timeline.)

• I thought p-shifters weren't delusional! You're changing your tune!": I can't speak for Silvër and her pack's views, but I still don't believe all shifters are delusional. While the definition of clinical lycanthropy necessitates delusions, a p-shifter is ANYBODY who claims to physically shift. P-shifters can't ALL be delusional because there's a wide variety of reasons why someone (even incorrectly!) might consider themselves a shifter. I've written about it before. I personally don't have a problem with delusional or schizospec people considering themselves p-shifters as long as other shifters aren't pushed out of the community, something I mentioned when I said, "as long as other shifters aren't defined out."

▪︎The claim that "P-shifters are purposefully targeting endels and delusional people": How? The shifters here (excluding Silvër and her defunct group) are not a pack. There's no concerted hivemind or effort to do anything, most of us are quite scattered honestly. As far as I'm aware most of us either post in our own tags, have warnings for delusional and clinical folk, or block them. This also goes both ways, so delusional folk can (and do!) also block us if they see something they cannot handle.

If we wanted to target endels, wouldn't we be posting in their tags? Wouldn't we be privately contacting endels with sensitive materials? Wouldn't we be making a concerted effort to make their lives miserable? And for what - an acutely psychotic person is uncontrollable (from what I know) so making them suffer in that fashion would only appeal to a sadistic abuser. Yet this is online, meaning that anybody trying to abuse others in that fashion would not even get to see that. How does that benefit anybody?

Those using the p-shifter label currently seem to be doing so because they're uncomfortable with the label of "clinical" or implying that their shifting is in any way false. Which tbh is fair, and since I do feel they have grounds to the label (it's not like they weren't already considered p-shifters by the community in some instances) I'm not bothered by them "reclaiming it". That's my reasoning, anyway.

[harloqui]

Different Styles of Shifting

Since I've noticed that there are a few different styles of shifting out there (and since I've been trying to categorize my own shifting) I've decided to make a list of all the types I've seen out there. More will be added if I find any, but I think this is all there is?

1. Psychosomatic Changes: These are people who have changes that are mild and fairly well-explained scientifically. Increased energy, an inability to walk, heightened senses and a boost in strength are all possible for those experiencing these changes, and for the animal identified this often comes with cravings, longings to go wild, and some instincts of their species.

Unlike other forms of shifting, humans are fairly prone to this sort of change. If you've ever tried those "spell to become a werewolf" videos and felt effects (but no transformation), then you've had this type of "shift".

2. Berserkers and Human-Beasts: Changes here are more extreme than those found in psychosomatic areas, and are arguably no longer psychosomatic. These shifters often shift under pressure or the influence of spirit posession, seeing it as either a defensive mechanism or spiritual gift. The mildest of partial shifts might occur under these circumstances - growing fur, partially shifting bones, vocalizations and stance changes.

Examples of these shifters include berserkers, and some shamanic individuals.

3. Magical Influence: Those using magical influences may give off the appearance of a physical shift, without having shifted. These individuals often cast an illusion (in some cases called glamour) around their physical body so that they appear to be nonhuman. In some cases this form may be visible to only a select few; in others everyone may be able to see the animal form as if it were a physical entity.

Examples of this shift include sorcerers, witches and some claims of fae or natural animal shapeshifters (The Church Lady Monster).

4. Spirit Projectors and Bilocators: A spiritual type of shift that affects and/or involves the physical body, or materializes a new body for the shifter to use. These shifters may cross the veil to engage in fights against evil or other protective matters, or materialize a physical body to roam the Earth in. Unlike astral projection, the human body is often instrumental in shifting - moving it can displace a shifter, and a shifter may need to place it out of danger before a shift.

Examples of shifters like this include the faoladh, or the benadanti.

5. Standard Animal or Man-Beast: What most people think of when they hear of a physical shapeshifter. Changes here are fairly evident and indicate a noticable physical difference. Shifting may be painful, and difficult to initiate or control. Most shifters of this sort become an existent animal, although some may claim to have a bipedal, man-beast form. Despite being glamorized, experienced shifters are fairly rare in the community, and don't appear too often.

Examples of this shift include historical werewolves and some shamanic individuals, as well as claimed modern day sightings (such as the Torrance Werewolf) of bipedal wolf and cat men.

Not all shifters will be able to shift in all these ways, however I don't think shifting styles are exclusive. If you know one you could potentially develop the ability to shift in other ways.

[harloqui]

is there a way to tell if you have the gentics to shift, and is there a way to calculate your ABF?

Either by shifting, or just knowing you're a shifter. That's how most of us know - we shift/know we're a shifter, and then look back and see that it's most likely a genetic process passed down within our families.

I really wouldn't use the ABF for anything shifter-related - Blaze made the whole thing up, and anything he's written about Animal Blood Factor is just fantasy. You don't need to know it for shifting, and most shifters don't have one/don't believe in one. I've never calculated it myself.

[harloqui]

Anyway... I've made some shifter memes :3 I was actually in the process of making them a while back, but now is a good time as any to share them:

(Also some bonus memes below, I didn't make these)

[harloqui]

When you physically shift, does it damage the clothes you wear? (Asking so I can be sure to wear clothes I don't really care about when practicing)

I've heard it can stretch or destroy some clothing, yes. Be careful with rings or anything too constraining too, since that could potentially hurt you.

[harloqui]

So this is surprisingly relevant...

It's late and I should be sleeping, but I was working on something shifter-related, and found this from my old archives of shifter sites:

It is surprisingly relevant to the "what does p-shifting mean/what are p-shifters" discussion that occured a while back, despite being more than a decade old at this point.

Notable passage:

"All shifts can be placed in one of two categories: physical or nonphysical. Nonphysical shifts have only nonphysical side effects and symptoms, such as picking up a wolf's habits and intincts. Physical shifts usually have nonphysical aspects as well, but they have at least some degree of physical change or being in the physical body of an animal. This can range from something as minor as eye color changes to a partial or full bodily change into an animal form, and it would also include the rare ability of leaving your body to possess a real animal's body.[...]

Physical shifting is one of the most widely talked about types of shift. After all, it is the original model for what a werewolf is: a person who transforms physically into a wolf. It is also the hope and dream of many shifters. Even those who don't believe in it wish it were true. It is not only one of the rarest, but also the most controversial type of shift. Arguments on this topic can become unusually bitter, and there is no surer way to stir up shifters and create a lot of enemies as well as rabid admirers than to show up and start handing out teachings about physical shifting. About half of all shifters believe in physical shifting, to a greater or lesser extent, and about 5% believe they have experienced one or more physical shifts. Information on physical shifting is hard to track down.

Some people divide physical shifting into several different types. Just about everyone lists possession of a real animal's body as a distinct type of physical shift than the main type. There are also some other ideas related to ways to physically shift through out-of-body travel (such as somehow creating a separate animal body) that are generally listed as distinct types of physical shift. The main type of physical shift, the physical transformation of your own body, is also often divided into more than one type. One way of division is based on degree of shift: the body can change in very minor ways (such as eye color) or in more extreme but still partial ways (such as growing an entire coat of fur) or completely, to the extent that the end result looks just like a real animal. Some people give different names to each of these types. Another way of division is based on the speed of the change. Reports of physical shifting (both from folklore and from modern shifters) say that it can happen so fast that it is complete in just a few moments, or so gradually that it may take half an hour to complete, or any speed in between. Some people divide the different speeds of physical shift into different types and give them separate names.

The terminology of physical shifting is odd in a number of ways. Some people will refer to themselves as "physical shifters" because they experienced an eye color change but never anything more, something that hardly seems to qualify for the label of "physical shift". A rare few people will apply the label "physical shifter" to themselves because they mananaged to produce a physical (but certainly not supernatural) change during a mental shift, such as a change in body temperature or blood pressure. For reasons like this, it is always wise to ask people "what do you mean by a physical shift?".

One more detail about the terminology of physical shifting seems pretty ridiculous. It is fairly common for people belonging to a certain category of shifters to be referred to as "physical shifters" by others (or even to apply this label to themselves) even though they don't experience any type of physical shift. This category consists of those people who have very odd physical characteristics reminiscent of animals. I do not mean people who shift into this form, but people who were born with these characteristics and have them permanently- normal people may refer to these individuals as anything from "odd looking" to "deformed". There aren't very many of them, and they obviously aren't physical shifters, but for some reason the term "physical shifter" seems to stick to them. Therefore, if you hear that someone is a "physical shifter" don't automatically assume that they claim to experience physical shifts- it might simply be that the label has been misapplied to them.

By the way (a lot of people have been asking) yes it is possible to be in more than one of these categories at once (i.e. to be both a MSer and PSer, or both a MSer and DSer) in fact it is most common to be in more than one category at once. I suppose it is even possible to be in all four categories at once. It is also possible to move from one category to another (i.e. to start out as a dream shifter and then become a mental shifter)."