The only shifting  I managed was upon thinking about the different ages our faces hold, when awake and asleep. I jokingly did a spell to shift younger by day. Nothing happened until two weeks later. I only noticed in the mirror one morning that I looked really young. At least 15 years, and it stayed for a further two months. That was a time when I was walking up and down a steep mountain face twice a day to catch water in the river below, carrying a five litre bottle back up in my rucksack for cooking and washing in my hermit cave on the top storey of this mound of rocks. Then was the fittest time of my life. My face went back to normal though when I returned to London. I was on the mountain for 6 months and the change happened within the fourth month. I was in a perpetual dream state, because life was unbound. I did whatever, and mostly meditated or watch the falcons hunting. Absolutely no modernity influence for 6 months. I was doing 15 hour meditations on my body energy system. Following the meridians, chakras, within organs and bones. I think that loosened my way of belief as well. So I suggest a serene or surreal atmostphere like `the playground of the gods`, Hampi, India, and a lifestyle where you control what you do for at least a few months, like backpacking with serious meditation or transformative intent.

The process of belief was in my hand then. How a thought made reality bend a little. I was taught many things and discovered much too. But it always took days before anything would happen. Except for the overlapping synchronicities, which is currently all I see these days, literally..

Thanks Lono, your experience has inspired me to push the boulder up the hill once again.

Though i think the sharpness of health effects a sharpened mind to sustain such changes via the will. Like an unfinished watercolour painting in a rain storm. But with sustained practice, habit takes over.

The shapeshifters I have met chose different volumes or mass as well as featues. Though a boy with pot holes on his face retained the pot holes. As I never actually saw them shift shape, they could even be holographics or visual illlusions by outsiders.

Another possibility is blocked kundalini energy.  If your kundalini is starting to awaken spontaneously, then it is important to keep your tongue touching the roof of the mouth to connect the two main energy channels of the body, otherwise the energy can't move past the roof of the mouth and often pools in the nose/sinuses.  The thing that makes me doubt this is that usually it is described as an unpleasant sensation, often painful.

I'd thought of this too, but I felt no movement from my spine, and it wasn't painful.  The best way to describe the sensation is that it felt like my face was "pouring" out, like liquid energy.

I even thought I might be etherically slipping out prematurely to travel, but this felt different.  Much like slipping into a different form.   It was very physical feeling, although there was discomfort, but no pain.

It could have a hypnagogic sensation since you described it as discomforting. If there was no lingering pain but a lingering sensation then you were most likely feeling effects from some kind of perceived physical/etheric movement.

I think technically that would fall under "shapeshifting" if you use it in the context of dreams or trance states, but of course you wouldn't necessarily be deemed a 'shapeshifter', like in the nefarious sense of the word.

No faeries of elves though. Nope, I think its a pretty common thing for it to happen even if by subconscious suggestion.

Last night I had gone to bed fairly late, and was tired.  I rolled over on my left side, and hadn't been like that but a few moments when the strangest thing happened.  Suddenly, and very quickly, I felt my lower face (nose, mouth, etc.) begin to lengthen!  It felt as though my face had etherically loosened, and was suddenly morphing into a snout or something.  My sinuses even tingled.  As soon as I realized what was happening, I pulled myself out of it and returned to normal.  I had a hard time getting to sleep after that.

Has anyone else experienced something like this?  I even thought I might be etherically slipping out prematurely to travel, but this felt different.  Much like slipping into a different form.   It was very physical feeling, although there was discomfort, but no pain.

This may or may not have anything to do with it, but I had gone to bed thinking about fairies and elves.  Maybe they played a prank?  Although it didn't feel externally generated.