Our Mission
The International Misophonia foundation is dedicated to improving research, access to resources and awareness of Misophonia, newly recognized neurophysiological disorder that impacts quality of life of sufferers.
– The purposes of this non-profit are as follows:
– To provide funding end help initiate research for misophonia
– To engage in public advocacy campaigns and promote awareness for misophonia, and teach the public, clinicians, and sufferers, about the disorder
– To provide resources for clinicians, researchers, and the public on misophonia
– To facilitate research for misophonia through the development of a research journal
– To facilitate research for misophonia by conducting original research
Our Board of Directors
Please note that board members are volunteers and not paid for services as board members.
Shaylynn Raymond
Shaylynn Hayes-Raymond is an LCT-C with a MA in Counselling Psychology, BA in Political Science, and honours diploma in Creative Digital Media. Shaylynn is the director of the International Misophonia Foundation and a private-practice therapist in New Brunswick, Canada. Shaylynn has written numerous pieces on misophonia and has been an advocate for the condition since 2015. Shaylynn herself has misophonia and is a passionate mental health advocate both as a therapist and as neurodiverse advocate.
Amber Liponoga
I am an LCSW based out of Columbia, MO. I provide telehealth therapy services for adults who live in the state of Missouri. I have experience working with diverse individuals and have been working with individuals with mental health concerns and personality disorders for over five years.
Harrison Porter
My academic background concerns world religions and philosophy, with particular interests in interreligious philosophical debate and Buddhist psychology and ethics of compassion. Through connections with OCD and misophonia communities, I have been volunteering for the International Misophonia Foundation, both in an editorial capacity and as a member of their institutional review board. My hope is to facilitate the study of misophonia in a manner that is ethically sound and that observes a high level of scientific rigour, as well as to help disseminate this knowledge to further popular awareness concerning misophonia and sensory processing disorders.
Sharon Burns
Sharon is a Professional Tutor ot her local university where she assists students in their academic needs. She’s skilled in writing and researching, using them for Misophonia International to further their work. She is excited to have a front seat in Misophonia research.
Jenna Pellicori‑Curry, Au.D, CCC‑A
Jenna M. Pellicori-Curry, Au.D., CCC-A, valedictorian graduate of Salus University (B.S., James Madison University), serves as lead audiologist for Nemours Children’s Health New Jersey satellite locations. Licensed in New Jersey and Delaware, she holds ASHA certification and ABA membership. She specializes in pediatric diagnostics, intervention, sound sensitivity, central auditory processing, newborn screening, amplification, and ABR evaluations, prioritizing a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to patient care.
Our Story
The International Misophonia Foundation was founded in 2023 by long-time misophonia advocate Shaylynn Hayes-Raymond, MA, LCT-C. The goal was to move misophonia research forward, educate the clinicians, families, and communities who need to understand it, and advocate for a world that’s easier to live in for people with misophonia, misokinesia, and other sensory differences.
Shaylynn was joined on the IMF’s founding board by Amber Liponoga, Sharon Mousel-Burns, and Vicki Sladowski. Vicki has since stepped away from the board, and we remain grateful for the part she played in getting the foundation off the ground. The IMF is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, incorporated in Missouri.
In our first year, we focused on building infrastructure for the community. We launched a Clinician Directory so people with misophonia could find providers who understand it, created an Institutional Review Board for misophonia research, started an academic journal, and facilitated studies on misophonia, misokinesia, and sensory processing. We hosted our first online conference in May 2024, launched a free web show with live Q&A, submitted commentary to the active ICD proposal for misophonia, and donated assistive technology, including headphones, earplugs, sensory regulation tools, and even a laptop, to people who needed it.
We also took the fight to the technology people use every day. Our petition asked Apple, Microsoft, and other industry leaders to make their products more sensory-friendly, and Apple has since added an option to turn off the blinking text cursor, one of the central asks of that campaign. In 2025, Microsoft removed the blinking cursor from Edge and Teams on Mac and implemented the IMF’s proposed changes to Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and more on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. We continue to press Google, Adobe, Canva, Blizzard, Nintendo, Steam, and others to follow.
Since then, the work has only grown. We’ve published free guides for clinicians, parents, and teachers, a free ebook based on Misophonia Matters, worksheets, and a coloring book for coping with misophonia. We’ve begun a proposal to the American Psychiatric Association to add misophonia to the DSM, recruited volunteer researchers, launched misophoniaresearch.com as a research hub, and hosted a five-hour digital conference for parents of children with misophonia and those who support them.
There’s a lot left to do, and we can’t do it alone. If you’d like to be part of what comes next, you can volunteer with us or support our work with a donation.
Consultants, Researchers, and Volunteers
Lorette Daudin
Volunteer Research Assistant
Paula Elīza Cera
Volunteer Research Assistant
