#vakalomorph

Phenomena associated with vakalomorphy:

(Terms here are open to revision)

Manifestations: These are transparent, lifelike experiences of becoming one’s identity in this world. A manifestation is often experienced as being faded and off-in-the-distance of real-world objects. Most individuals don’t experience them as realistic as the real world, and can easily tell the difference between a manifested identity and their physical body. These are basically lifelike and persistent pseduohallucinations or spiritual expressions.

Transformations: These are vivid and lifelike experiences of actually changing to one’s identity in this world. Unlike manifestations, transformations look, sound and feel as real as day to the individual, and may come with bodily changes (ex. if you transform into a wolf you may struggle to walk on two legs, you may be unable to speak or see in color, etc.) Psychologically speaking, these are basically vivid and lifelike hallucinations.

Misyn:  A feeling of being physically what you identify as, which often interacts with one's physical body. This is a feeling, and most people with misynia are aware they are objectively their current physical human bodies, or are in touch with their current reality and can acknowledge it.

Morph Sickness: This is our description of the physical changes that occur when these things are expressed for too long or too abruptly. You get sick, sometimes with a cold, sometimes a bit worse...all reversible, however.

Urges: These are the urges to manifest and/or transform that some vakalomorphs may feel. They usually go away once someone expresses themselves sufficiently.

*Note for Plurals: These traits express differently in plural systems. Some plurals may find that most of their plurality is expressed externally as a result of their vakalomorphy (ex. their headspace or other worlds are external, they see their headmates in the waking world, they see themselves externally as they control their body) or they may find their entire system occasionally sees their physical body as one or a few forms. Some plurals may have an overarching bodily form, others may express their internal identities externally in this manner.

Our Personal Experience: 

As long as we’ve been alive, we’ve always been able to see each other externally as well as internally, and felt as if we were physically other than our human body, due to its expression of our animal natures. We’re well aware that we’re physically our human self and don’t actually object to that classification normally, but that doesn’t actually change our feelings and how we experience ourselves. As a result of these traits, we have a tight attachment to our human body, and often don’t experience humanity as being aversive to our existences.

When we talk about seeing each other externally, we mean we see everything. With our “eyes”, apart from the internal mental space. We do not daydream ourselves, we see ourselves externally, as if we were seeing a ghost of sorts. We will also see ourselves in reflections, mirrors and in photographs if they are taken; we’re well aware that this is an illusion. Our innerworld is external, our bodies are external, and oftentimes getting into this body and getting comfortable means we have to express our internal identities externally, so we let our body parts come out and envelop this one. Through this, we are able to simulate the senses, tactile feelings, proprioception and overall experience of being ourselves, all on a human body. This comes naturally to us, we didn’t really have to “learn” how to do this.

A typical day for us is...really not that different from anybody else’s day. We wake up and do the same mundane things you might do, we eat, do work and chores, socialize with loved ones, have fun with ourselves and others, etc. nothing too extreme. At most we might experience an (internal) vision or two by the same vakalomorph mechanism, and heed what we see there, but there’s not much else going on to be honest. It’s nothing spectacular, and it doesn’t come with anything we can’t control or gain power over in some manner. Additionally, we see this as a very beneficial arrangement, because our vakalomorphy has saved us from abuse and death more than once. Our vakalomorphy is a blessing, not a curse. 

We don’t really relate to many otherkin or therians these days, because they are very focused on the internal and often experience dysphoria, whereas we’re focused on the external and don’t experience dysphoria. We struggle to relate to groups that focus on hallucinations or mental projections because they often don’t identify those hallucinations as being a part of their identity. Tulpamancers and prophantasiacs generally don’t see their ability to impose as a crucial part of how they experience and see the world, and they wouldn’t be devastated if they couldn’t see themselves externally. We have never been diagnosed with any psychotic disorder (if that’s important to anyone) and do not suspect ourselves to have one, nor do we really relate to the experiences and claims of psychotic folk. 

We have met others who experience the same we do, however, and there is always instant empathy and understanding there. Whether plural or singlet, if they feel their identity is physical, they often get and experience what we do, such as the transformations or manifestations. We may not get along for other reasons, but we understand each other when it comes to this aspect of our identities, and this is what led us to personally call ourselves vakalons.

Important differences between vakalomorphy and mental illness:

Most mental illnesses are distressing or dysfunctional on an integral level, as in they distress an individual not solely because of social reasons (ex. feeling like an oddball, feeling isolated, being made fun of) but because they make it harder for someone to function and are innately distressing. Vakalons are not universally distressed or impaired by their vakalomorphy, and some (like us) are not distressed or impaired at all, thus in no way would this count as a mental illness.

Vakalomorphy is NOT the same as clinical psychosis or delusions. Clinical psychosis is often distressing, dysfunctional, and not beneficial or supportive to an individual. Even when this is not the case, clinical psychosis is typically not identity-based and delusions are often transient (they change often) and are resistant to questioning. In contrast, a vakalomorphic identity is often persistent over the course of one’s life, a vakalon can often question (with little issue) what is going on with them and will acknowledge the facts of the situation if needed. Most vakalons are also functional in society to an extent that would be difficult in florid, untreated clinical psychosis, or if they’re not functional the source of their dysfunction is not due to their vakalomorphy. This isn’t to say that if you have delusions or psychosis you can’t be a vakalomorph, but vakalomorphy is not inherently delusional or psychotic.

Unlike a mental illness, vakalomorphs have control over when they experience these phenomena. We, for example have a choice of when we express ourselves, unlike a clinically psychotic person. It can also be learned and enhanced so that one is able to express themselves more with time. For example, a vakalomorphic furry who learns to impose their fursona onto their physical form might choose when and where to do so, unlike a clinical lycanthrope who might be at the mercy of their mind.

Examples of things that would be considered vakalomorphic:

A transgender tulpamancer finds that alongside imposing their tulpa, they are slowly coming to impose their gender identity onto their physical body, and this is much more vivid than what others claim. They literally feel like their gender and as if they were paradoxically, born in the right body due to what they see. They look down and see the characteristics of their gender, they look in the mirror and see their gender traits, etc. and as a result feel different from other trans people.

An otherkin wakes up one day to find they have a visible and lifelike phantom of their nonhuman body on them. They can control the expression of this phantom, but it looks and feels real, and it often causes their physical body to scrunch up in weird and often painful ways. That being said, they still like seeing their form externalized, and have very little issue with what they experience. They only need help relaxing their body and muscles.

A self-made mystic, psychic and born spiritualist decides to practice their spirituality. They accidentally encounter some beings who had been trying to contact them, and these beings follow them back to their body. From then on they are accompanied by these beings in their waking world, and they often help them with issues they face. These beings are heard and seen in the waking world, but the psychic is aware that they’re not physically tangible and does not expect outrageous acts from them. 

A plural system sees themselves in the waking world, as they have since experiencing plurality. Although their headmates appear as in a hallucinatory manner, they do experience other plural experiences such as fronting and switching, although they may need to take advantage of their vakalomorphy in order to do so efficiently. In other areas they have similar experiences to a non-vakalomorphic plural system.

A person has always found themselves casting different animal and human forms onto their body since they were young, and finds that this comes with behavioral and postural changes that make them feel as if they’re really that creature, almost like a shapeshifter of sorts. They are aware they’re not physically these things, but they do experience the urge to express these things, and will fully mentally become these creatures in a suitable area.

Important things to note before using this term:

We do request that nobody make a flag or symbol for this label without checking in with the rest of the community. Personal symbols and the like are okay, but if you’re going to make a community flag or symbol you need to get the approval of the community.

This is not an alterhuman sub-label. You can consider yourself alterhuman due to your vakalomorphy, as alterhuman is an opt-in label, but vakalomorphy is not inherently a sub-category of alterhumanity. 

Vakalomorphy is not bound by anything more than it’s definition. What this means is that outside of the definition of vakalomorphy and general experiences, there’s no further requirements for being a vakalon. Vakalomorphy is belief-agnostic, so you could be a hardcore spiritualist and be a vakalon, or psychologically minded and be a vakalon. You could believe your vakalomorphy arose as a genetic quirk, or you could believe it occurred due to environmental factors, spirituality or reincarnation, among other experiences. You could hold a literalist interpretation of your experiences, or you could see it as just a quirk of your brain chemicals. As long as you adhere to the definition of the term, you’re valid, full stop.

This is not a clique community. What this means is that outside of the definition and experience of vakalomorphy, we may not have anything inherently tying us together, and one vakalon and their extracommunity beliefs, behaviors and views (whether good or bad) should not be expected to represent the entire community. Nor should one individual rule over the community with an iron fist. We are individuals, not a clique or a cult.