Welcome to canDID Expressions
Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is a community of people with trauma-based dissociation who explore and share our lived experience through writing and other expressive arts.
You are invited to join us in exploring the power of writing and other expressive arts with the goal of deepening a shared understanding of ourselves, others, and the world.
We look forward to getting to know you!
Why we’re here
Living with DID was isolating for me. I was consumed with shame, and exhausted from trying to present myself as a single/unified being. The only time I met others who had the same diagnosis was through treatment. It was nice to be with people who related to what I was going through, but we were together because there was something “wrong” with us. Our interactions were shaped by the language of therapy and with the goal of “getting better.”
Then something wonderful happened. I met an entire community of people with dissociation who didn’t hide/mask, explain themselves, or apologize for being different. They accepted, claimed, and even celebrated having DID. Such an empowering experience!
Continuing to spend dedicated time with others who dissociate in a safe and open environment has led to a deeper understanding and appreciation of myself and others. It’s helped me live more freely. I want this freedom and happiness to be available to others.
This space is created to gather and share our experiences with dissociation and how our daily lives are impacted by physiological and emotional responses to our past. It’s a place to be all of who we are in community with others who have firsthand knowledge of life with trauma-based dissociation.
Recent Expressions
Castles Under Lightening
JM. Austin My therapist tells me that dissociation is a skillThe way I can escape my body like a magicianFloat to other worlds for whatever I needPeace, safety, solitudeDissociation was my first friend.Grasping me by my hand and carrying me away from the horrors of...
The Choice
They say happiness is a fleeting thing,a whisper lost in the wind—a candle flickering, barely clinging,too fragile to withstand the din. But I have found it in the wreckage,in the storm’s relentless tide,in nights that howled with lonely echoeswhere no light was left...
The Homecoming
I came out, and they had it all figured out. It was like waking up in the middle of a story I didn’t start,a story that had already been written without me.Everything was already in place.The rhythm of their voices,the way they moved through the days,the way they...
canDID Connections
Just Be Yourself! Really?
What are the rules? I often wonder because I know I don’t know the rules. It seems everyone plays by a different set of rules. I know they are different from mine. Others seem to expect me to know their rules. I never expect others to know mine. Do I have any? Do they...
The Menu
The last two weeks have been particularly stressful, probably more than I realize. I’m one that makes a point not to be a burden, not to offend or distress or bother anyone ever … if I can help it. That’s totally from childhood trauma conditioning. I default to...