
Hi, I’m Michelle Nichols.
I help empaths heal, accept, and trust themselves so they experience more joy and peace.
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Although I have worked with a variety of different people, I have a special understanding of empaths because I am one myself. If you have never come across the term, you might very well be wondering “What is an empath?” I have included information below from an expert in the field. I will likely expand upon these points at a later date.
For me, being an empath means that I am able to feel other people’s emotions. Earlier in my life, I had difficulty separating my emotions from those of other people. I usually know when someone is not feeling well before they say anything. Over time, I have learned how to manage my energy and create a safe space for other people. I often find that people tell me things that they don’t tell anyone else. Intuition has gone hand-in-hand with my ability to be empathic. I am able to receive relevant insights for myself and other people. I have had to learn how to set boundaries and enforce them because I have found that when I do not, people tend to take advantage of me. If you have shared some of these experiences and would like help navigating them, please feel free to visit my offers page. I also welcome you to check out my blog, where I will be sharing all sorts of good information.
Judith Orloff, MD, who wrote The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People, identified several traits of empathic people:
My life’s journey has been about finding myself, learning to trust myself, and showing up as the most authentic and real version of myself as possible. This has been a challenging process, similar to peeling back the layers of an onion. As I continue to heal and work on myself, I continue to find increasingly beautiful new layers.
I consciously started this process during elementary school, although the situation that made it possible was an unexpected blessing in disguise. I experienced a feeling of disconnect when I became aware that I was being kind to a boy when we were away from school and mean to him when we were at school. Embarrassing, right? I remember thinking, “I am a fake. This is not who I am.” I knew I acted like that to maintain my popularity. The problem with this, of course, is that I wasn’t sharing who I really was. The motive behind this was simple, really. I wanted to have friends, and I did not want to feel ridiculed, shamed, and alone. I was afraid that if I was really me, I would be rejected.
The summer after that realization, my family moved to a nearby city. Although it felt terrible and like the world as I knew it was ending, it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity. I made the decision to be who I really was, and I made friends as this “new” person. I felt loved and accepted for who I really was, and that was such an amazing, beautiful gift for me. By taking this first step of becoming more accepting of who I really was, I attracted a handful of friends who accepted themselves, too.
Starting in high school, I decided to learn more about religion. I had two friends who seemed to be very deep in their faith, and I realized that this was missing from my own life. This study continues until this day. It has expanded to include spirituality and personal growth. Obtaining my degree in sociology with a psychology minor also helped me to understand myself more deeply, as well as other people. Along the way, I obtained certificates in a few different healing modalities.
This learning and healing has had some amazing results. Each aspect has allowed me to understand myself and my place in the world better. I have developed a deep level of faith, and I have learned to trust myself and my intuition, which has caused my intuition to grow in amazing ways. Relevant insights consistently pop into my head, and I offer my clients the same relevant insights that I have enjoyed for several years now.
All of this learning, healing, and soul-searching ultimately led me to create Soulfull Integration, a healing modality that helps my clients heal, accept, and integrate various aspects of themselves. This process helps with self-acceptance, which leads to self-trust. This work also tends to include working closely with Source/The Universe/God/etc. With all of these pieces in place, it becomes easy and fun to create the life you really want.