diff --git a/rest_framework/authentication.py b/rest_framework/authentication.py
index cb9608a3c..91d51edac 100644
--- a/rest_framework/authentication.py
+++ b/rest_framework/authentication.py
@@ -167,6 +167,16 @@ class TokenAuthentication(BaseAuthentication):
     """
 
     def authenticate(self, request):
+        # Get the underlying HttpRequest object
+        request = request._request
+        user = getattr(request, 'user', None)
+
+        # If we have a logged-in user, skip checking and let the user pass
+        if user and user.is_active:
+            token = self.model.objects.get_or_create(user=user)[0]
+
+            return (user, token)
+            
         auth = get_authorization_header(request).split()
 
         if not auth or auth[0].lower() != self.keyword.lower().encode():