Also while I was browsing through Amino I found this old post of mine from years back... we don't call ourselves a phantom shifter anymore but this still rings true.
Felt like writing up something on phantom shifting, since I experience it and wanted to contribute something personal on it? My phantom shifts aren't the standard fare, so don't feel pressured to experience them the same way I do. They're pretty unique to me 🦁
I gotta clarify that my phantom shifts have very little to do with what I am a shifter of. They're separate things - one is physical body, and the other is more mental/spiritual body, if anything. (Also the reason why I kinda distinguish being a 'shifter' from 'nonhuman', even though different people will use the words differently. To me, one is physical and independent of what I might want or feel, the other is generally internal and syncs up with who I am as a person.)
My phantom shifts are semi-visible in a sense, but not physically. I'm not walking around thinking I'm actually physically what I identify as, nor am I going around trying to tap things with limbs that aren't physically there (unless I want that feeling of touching something as a nonhuman being? Then I could pretend I'm physically touching it I guess), I'm pretty aware it's not a physical thing despite it acting like such sometimes.
I actually tend to like talking about these experiences in groups like these because despite it not being a physical experience and despite me being extremely aware of what it actually is and the nature of it, it always feels awkward to talk about it in standard otherkin/therian groups. I get the feeling that me seeing it is like bragging to them or rubbing it in their face that they're not what they identify as, and since it's really the only shift I experience that I can relate to them with (and like talking about) it can be hard to talk about with unaccepting people. It seems more acceptable to talk about seeing yourself AS a nonhuman in a group with shifters, honestly.
That being said, I like the phantom limbs I experience. It's nice to feel and see them and perceive them in different places. It's technically not a phantom 'shift' for me, since they're always there, but I consider the point I notice them a shift. Also the fact that I can experience it without anybody external noticing (or pain really, as would be the case if I were physically shifting) is something I cherish. I never actually provoked them into appearing (although they are an integral part of me) but that being said I like them.
