Born in the Wrong Generation/Time Period?

[Anachronistic]

Hello Kinmunity! You can call me Anachronistic. Before getting into this topic I want to say:

- I am not otherkin, a therian, etc. I have always felt like a human. In fact I consider myself very uneducated on the topic, though that doesn't mean I dislike any individuals that fit under those categories. I find it fascinating!

- I apologize in advance if I saw anything offensive to otherkin/therians. I most likely had no idea what I was saying was hurtful!

So why am I here? As I mentioned, I may be an uneducated fool, but I've had the opportunity to discuss the topic of species dysphoria with otherkin before. And something about his description of it struck a cord within me. 

The past couple of years, I've been struggling with the feeling that I was born in the wrong time period. Hear me out. I'm not just a twelve-year-old from tumblr who wishes they were born in the 80's. I feel as though I was once, and still should be, living in late-18th-century America. (From the years 1760-1810, roughly). More specifically, during the American Revolution. It is not just a light-hearted desire of mine. The feeling is *extremely* prominent and very distressing. My symptoms are very similar to (average) species dysphoria, except not with my species, with the time period and society I live in. I often feel depressed, prompted by the strongest and most disturbing waves of nostalgia (not the good kind) when visiting Revolutionary War-related sites, listening to music from the time, etc. Wearing my cocked hat (a style of hat very popular at the time) seems to quell this feeling of *constant dissatisfaction*. This feeling has bugged me for almost three years, about since I first started researching this time period. And I think this feeling is more like an identity. I likely *did* have a past life during that time, and I truly cannot let go of it. I know some otherkin/therians struggle with their ties to past lives as animals. I feel the same, except with a different time period. I've always been called an "old soul" and find myself having strange philosophical input and unprecedented wisdom in certain situations, which is odd when compared to the lack of experience I've had in this life. I've never been one for spiritual things, more for science. But I cannot shake this feeling.

I could go on and on about inexplicable experiences I've had with my "past life", but here's a good one:

From a very young age (six or so), I've always loved high-heels. Why? I liked the "clip-clop" sounds they make. (ASMR? Maybe.) I don't wear them myself. However, a few months ago, I visited Colonial Williamsburg, a historical reenactment town from the 1770's (and earlier). The workers are dressed up in historically accurate costumes. (As a side note, male and female shoes were sometimes nearly identical at the time.) Both a male and female worker leading a tour I was on wore these typical shoes. And what sound did they make? That "clip-clop" sound I've been drawn to since childhood. Apparently the way the soles were made result in that strange sound, especially when walking on cobblestones (which paved many streets at the time). In all my research I've never even heard of the shoes being "cloppy" like that. Coincidence? Perhaps more than that.

In summary, I truly believe there are many more folks out there like me. If there are folks who identify as animals (both real and not), why can't there be human folks who identify with a different time period? I've run into a select few of people who have similar emotions as I. And, once again, my "generational dysphoria" (as I've dubbed it) seems parallel to species dysphoria. Therefore I'm wondering if anyone on this site has ever truly felt like they should've been born in another time period/generation, and have ever experienced "generational dysphoria" because of it? I feel like this phenomenon needs to be recognized and labelled for what it is!

Feel free to reply to this, message me here or on my Instagram @iGoatSnake. Also, I'm available on FurAffinity @iGoatThing. 

 

[Shezep]

It sounds like you should look around for communities that deal with reincarnation. I have heard a number of stories about people who have a strong identification with their human past lives, and who go and research those other time periods, and even go to visit the relevant locations. It's an interesting phenomenon, but it doesn't really overlap with the otherkin community. A quick search for "reincarnation community" turned up a few leads. I wish you luck! I'm sure you will find people who have had similar experiences.  

 

[Red-in-Tooth]

Greetings,

While I agree with @Shezep that there is some overlap between the concepts, I am if the perception and persuasion that the core idea is not too dissimilar from otherkin or a theriotype. A good deal of the idea in either of those cases does lie in the idea that the physical body and physical world do not relate to the astral, mental, spiritual, etc, experience otherwise and I see no reason they would not fall into the same larger collective, @Anachronistic.

Generally speaking however, while they do all fit into a larger category, they are distinctly removed from one another at least by the fact a telltale trait in them is that they are in-human. There is some debate where this falls for say, a human fictotype, but it can be understood that such a thing in itself is not human either other than in concept. Again, this leads me to believe these constellations of experiences are closely related but are distinctly removed. As you noted, "generational dysphoria" as an idea would be a relative to species dysphoria and gender dysphoria although obviously it would be unique in itself versus then and the overlap, while present, would be distinct.