Anyone else think that maybe childhood traumas such as abuse, neglect or abandonment issues led them to this lifestyle? Maybe an antisocial personality disorder? Just wondering. Studies say that verbal and emotional abuse at a young age could create a zoophile(Not sure if that is the preferred description, no insult intended).
Everyone’s different. You’ll find quite a few people here who lived normal happy childhoods. I’d be lying if I said I was the same, and I’m one for transparency.
My parents had issues of their own, from PTSD to abuse and abandonment from their own parents. So naturally, that abuse was projected onto me. I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point in my childhood, I “imprinted” on one of the family dogs. I do remember them as always being comforting figures in my life, so there’s that.
But I don’t suffer from anti-social personality disorder, just some pretty bad anxiety which I’ve learned to maneuver around over the years. People tell me I seem cold and aloof on the outside, and it’s true that I have a pretty big space bubble around most people, but once you get to know me, you realize I’m just like anyone else. I’ve just got a hard outer shell. I like being around people and I have friends that I truly love to spend time with, but they do drain my energy a lot more than when I’m around animals.
I don’t necessarily view my attachment to animals because of past strife as a bad thing. I think of it like this: Artists may get inspiration and create their finest works from past trauma or pain. The trauma was bad, but what came out of it was something beautiful.
It may have started off as a way to comfort myself as a child, and still to this day I find comfort in my animal partner, but now that I’m an adult, I don’t really have to rely on animals as much as I used to. My parents have since apologized for how they treated me as a young child. The road is rough but I’m learning to live with the effects of their abuse and getting better everyday. I’m lucky enough to have recognized that I needed some help adjusting in the world early on.
It’s definetly evolved. My feelings towards animals, I mean. At first it was something for comfort, I think. Then I began to view them in a more sexual light, which then went on to become more romantic feelings. Or maybe I was just born with liking animal genitalia ingrained in my head. How should I know?
If I was still dependent on animals for comfort, then I’d view it as a bad thing. But I can function now with or without my partner by my side. So in the end, I can still have a healthy relationship with him even with those past issues in mind.
It’s good to keep in mind that one can face abuse, but still live normal, healthy lives if they walk the right path. I was lucky enough to have the resources and the self-awareness to do so.
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