Michelle began her formal study of psychology at the age of 16, enrolling in a two-year college-level course offered at her high-school. She went on to get a Bachelor's in Psychology from Yale University.  After experiencing severe depression and suicidal ideation at the age of 19, she went to see a therapist at the Department of Undergraduate Health.  After a full session of explaining the challenges she was facing, Michelle was disappointed that the first response was to prescribe prescription drugs.  She knew that this was not the route she wanted, and she was looking for something to actually heal her problems, not a band-aid to numb her further.   But the mainstream medical and academic worlds did not seem to offer any real solutions, only symptom-management.

Somehow she made it to graduation, and then began a daily yoga practice.  She travelled to India to further her studies, and eventually practiced with Master Teachers in 8 different countries, spending over four years overseas. This led to shamanic initiations in several healing traditions, as well as some difficult initiations into the world of sorcery and shadow work.  When Michelle returned to the U.S., she began to teach yoga full time and eventually opened a yoga school, "Higher Vibration Yoga."

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Michelle found that while yoga provided a great deal of valuable healing methods, it was not so effective at compassionate healing of the emotional body.  While the yoga community has become increasingly trauma-informed, historically the focus on teaching asanas, which dislodge trauma in the body, without providing the tools to actually address and heal the trauma once it rises to the surface. In fact, Michelle found that many spiritual paths fell short at providing an effective, respectful space to heal the emotional traumas that so many of us are carrying.  She even found that some traditions and practices effectively bully the client "for their own good", and that this can have terrible repercussions.  

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Eventually she discovered Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), a profoundly effective, respectful and compassionate approach to healing trauma.  Michelle was so impressed with its effectiveness, she soon completed all three levels of training offered by The Center for Self-Leadership (now called The IFS Institute).  The IFS system proved to be excellent at healing trauma. Michelle began to feel that she could no longer just teach asanas without providing trauma-healing tools as well.  Thus Activation Coaching was born.

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During Shamanic Healing Sessions, Michelle uses IFS techniques, along with a synthesis of Healing Arts from many shamanic traditions.  This allows clients to clear out unfinished emotional business, traumas, anxieties, or any other inner dysfunctions.  In a session, Michelle will travel with you to the places in your timeline where Parts of you are stuck.  Her role is to remain anchored in her Higher Self and to guide you in your clearing process, getting to the root of the issue and releasing patterns that no longer serve you.   Issues that seem insurmountable are transmuted and dissolved for good.

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Once the trauma is released from your system, energy that was once trapped can be redirected to something positive and fulfilling.  Your system can rejoice in the fact that you are more than your past! And you can safely enjoy a future different from what you've always known.   Instead of being overwhelmed by traumatized Parts of yourself, you can heal those Parts, and safely shift into Self-Leadership, allowing your Higher Self to lead the way.