I think I may have species dysphoria/dysmorphia

Just thought I'd add. I'm 26 years old

@midnight1wolfie

Hi--that makes sense. You've identified as canine for as long as you can remember. And it's felt really uncomfortable having a body that doesn't match the way you see yourself, being expected to perform behaviors that feel like they don't fit, and being subject to judgments if you try to deviate from that. (Your analogy makes sense, like, isn't it unfair for people to expect a motorcycle to fly as if it were an airplane?)

You wish it were okay to move toward what you want to be. And you feel like if you keep burying it, then maybe something might snap at some point and you might go into full-blown wolf mode and oops there goes someone's neck. 😊

***

I don't have a lot of familiarity with species dysphoria and I haven't experienced it myself, but I tried doing some research and it looks like there are online communities and resources dedicated to this kind of experience. One keyword that came up pretty often when I was looking was "therianthropy".
https://www.kinmunity.com/articles/whats-therianthropy.17/
https://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Therianthropy

A thought crosses my mind that maybe resources on gender dysphoria might be relevant. The specifics are different, but a lot of the general themes and experiences might be similar at an abstract level (i.e. "My body doesn't match my intrinsic identity"). And I imagine that resources for transgender issues might be pretty plentiful as well as affirming/validating.
https://www.wikihow.com/Cope-With-Gender-Dysphoria

What are some of the things that feel appealing about being a canine? Maybe if you can identify what some of those things are that you really like about imagining yourself as a canine, it might be possible to identify some activities or adjustments that would allow you to express some of those tendencies and manifest that aspect of yourself more freely. How far you're willing to take that might depend on whether you're able to find spaces where it feels safe/comfortable to be those things.

If you're looking for someone to talk with, feel free to schedule a chat with me.

I wish I could make an appointment but unfortunately our timelines mean that you are available from 2am to 4:30am in my time zone... I think that is a bit out of my reach as I usually fall asleep at around 1-1:30am but you definitely grasp the way I feel. Thank you for the wonderful reply.

@midnight1wolfie

Yeah, sorry about the time zone difference. Hope you're able to find someone else you're able to chat with live. And you're welcome to send offline messages if you'd like.

Thanks 🤗 I'll send you a message, I really appreciate your openmindedness

@midnight1wolfie

Hey, I went to respond to your message and saw that your account is no longer active. 💜 If your account happens to become active, feel free to message me again.