Vision

We seek a world in which the lived experience of trauma-based dissociation is widely understood.

Mission

canDID Expressions’ mission is to foster conversations about life with trauma-based dissociation through writing and other expressive arts.

Values

• • Community – We are a unified group of people with joint ownership and participation.
  • Wholeheartedness – We engage with authenticity, compassion and courage while embracing our imperfection.
  • Respect – We treat each other with dignity and gratitude, emphasizing everyone’s worth and contribution.
  • Self-expression – We encourage the sharing of thoughts, feelings, and ideas in a variety of media to portray a person’s way of being, experiencing, and perceiving.
  • Connection – We facilitate each person being seen, heard, and valued.

Corrine Li, our founder, is a speech-language pathologist who lives in Southern California with her service dog.  Her history of complex trauma led her to multiple healing modalities, including writing and art.  She developed canDID Expressions after witnessing and benefiting from the deep connections and insights that emerged while participating in a writing group with others who experience dissociation.  The strength, courage, and resilience of the group members amplified these traits in herself, so she sought to expand this offering to others.   She is in the process of writing her memoir, and is passionate about the transformative power of personal narratives in all forms.  She champions the sharing of lived experiences as a way to promote society’s understanding of the impact of early trauma and dissociation.

Alyson Shelton is an award winning screenwriter based in Los Angeles. Her essays have been published widely at outlets such as The NY Times, Ms., The Rumpus and more. She hosts a popular Instagram series inspired by George Ella Lyon’s poem, Where I’m From where she’s hosted over 160 writers and creatives.  The poem is also the inspiration for her memoir in progress. Both canDID Expressions and Where I’m From tap into her lifelong belief that each of us has a unique and powerful story to tell and that the more obstacles we can remove from the act of telling and sharing our voices, the better.

Paola Patel is a certified Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT and an associate marriage and family therapist with an extensive background in creative movement.  She has over 20 years of teaching experience in dance.  She is passionate about sharing the value of mind-body connection through a creative lens.  She believes canDID Expressions can provide a foundation for community rooted in expression and is honored to be a part of the journey.  In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, yoga, and spending time with her husband, 4 kids, and 2 dogs.  

Christopher Knauf is the founder and senior attorney of Knauf Associates, a private disability rights and education law firm located in Santa Monica, California.  He is a certified mediator, as well as Adjunct Professor of Disability Rights Law at USC’s Gould School of Law, and the former Director of Litigation of the Disability Rights Legal Center in Los Angeles.  Christopher’s mother had a mental disability, so he is excited to support canDID Expressions’ effort for self expression and personal fulfillment.

Dan Elisha is a Los Angeles native with 30 years of accounting experience in several publicly-traded corporations.  He made the move to non-profit about five years ago, and has spent that time moving into different positions of greater responsibility.