What Does It Mean to Be Self Sovereign?
By Bethany Russell, MA, LPC
And why it matters more than confidence, self-esteem, or any other buzzword you've heard…
You've tried building confidence. You've practiced self-love. You've done the affirmations, the vision boards, the mindset work.
And yet.
You still lie awake at 2am, mind racing through the same questions: Did I say the right thing? Should I stay or go? What if I'm wrong? What if I mess this up too?
Success hasn't brought the peace you thought it would. Instead, the higher you climb, the louder that voice gets—the one that questions every choice, every instinct, every desire.
You weren't born this way.
Somewhere along the line, you learned not to trust the wisest part of yourself. You handed over your inner authority to patterns, people, and systems that convinced you they knew better than your own knowing.
But what if I told you the problem isn't that you need more confidence? What if you need to become Self Sovereign?
So What Does ‘Self Sovereign’ Actually Mean?
Being Self Sovereign means you are in the driver's seat of your own life—where you respond from your centered, authentic Self instead of being hijacked by old patterns, wounded parts, or cycles that aren't even yours.
It's not about being perfect. It's not about never getting triggered.
It's about knowing who's driving the car when life gets messy.
When you're Self Sovereign:
You feel your emotions without drowning in them
You make decisions from your center, not your panic
You trust your inner knowing even when everyone else disagrees
You respond to conflict from wisdom, not wounds
You hold love with an open hand instead of for dear life
This is what freedom actually looks like.
Why Most People Aren't Self Sovereign (And It's Not Your Fault)
Here's what I've discovered working with hundreds of ambitious, intuitive souls over the past decade: most of us have been hijacked without even realizing it.
Six specific patterns steal your sovereignty and keep you spinning:
You're blended with parts without knowing it.
The anxious part that spirals at 3am. The people-pleasing part that says yes when you mean no. The perfectionist part that's never satisfied. They're running the show instead of your wise, authentic Self.
Your nervous system is stuck in survival mode.
Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses kick in automatically. You're reacting from your nervous system, not responding from your wisdom.
Childhood attachment wounds are running your adult relationships.
You either abandon yourself completely to maintain connection, or you push people away before they can hurt you. Same dance, different partners.
You're carrying trauma that isn't even yours.
Ancestral patterns. Family wounds. Legacy burdens that have been passed down through generations. They're living in your system like inherited ghosts.
You've outsourced your emotional wellbeing.
You need others to be okay for you to feel okay. Their mood becomes your mood. Their approval becomes your worth.
Past life themes are seeking resolution.
Soul-level patterns that repeat across relationships and lifetimes until they're finally healed.
Sound familiar? You're not broken, love. You're just hijacked.
What Happens When You Reclaim Your Sovereignty (It's Pretty Magical)
When my clients become Self Sovereign, everything shifts:
In their work: They make aligned decisions without the 2am spiral sessions. They set boundaries that feel natural, not forced. They trust their intuition in business and leadership because they can finally hear it clearly.
In love: They attract healthier partnerships because they're no longer attracting from wounds. They can be intimate without losing themselves. They respond to conflict from their center, not their triggers.
In their spiritual life: They access their gifts without fear or apology. They trust their inner knowing. They feel connected to their authentic Self and something so much greater.
In their daily experience: They feel their feelings without being consumed by them. They regulate back to calm quickly. They hold space for others without taking on their emotions.
This isn't just healing. This is revolution.
The Path Back to Your Sovereignty
Becoming Self Sovereign isn't about adding more practices to your already-overwhelming routine. It's not about thinking your way to freedom or willing yourself into wholeness.
It requires comprehensive healing that addresses all the layers where you've been hijacked:
IFS parts work to identify what's running the show and help your Self lead
Nervous system regulation so you can respond instead of react
Attachment healing to transform those old relationship patterns
Legacy burden work to clear what was never yours to carry
Spiritual integration to honor your soul's journey, including past lifetimes
This is what I call the Self Sovereign Method—because band-aid solutions keep you stuck in the same cycles, just with better coping skills.
And honestly? You deserve so much more than coping.
Your Self Sovereign Self Is Waiting
You weren't born anxious, overthinking, or disconnected from yourself. You were born Self Sovereign.
That sovereign Self—the one who knows what's true, who can hold complexity with grace, who trusts life even in uncertainty—is still there, waiting for you to come home.
The question isn't whether you can become Self Sovereign.
The question is: Are you ready to reclaim what was always yours?
Ready to Begin Your Self Sovereign Journey?
If this is landing in your bones and you're ready to stop being hijacked by old patterns, I'd love to help you reclaim your sovereignty.
Schedule a Self Sovereign Intensive - a deep-dive session to identify what's hijacking your power and create your roadmap to freedom.
Learn more about Alchemy Coaching - comprehensive transformation that integrates mind, body, spirit, and strategy.
Because you deserve to trust yourself completely.
Ready to Begin Your Self Sovereign Journey?
If this resonates and you're ready to stop being hijacked by old patterns, I'd love to help you reclaim your sovereignty.
Schedule a Self Sovereign Intensive - a deep-dive session to identify what's hijacking your power and create your roadmap to freedom.
Learn more about Alchemy Coaching - comprehensive transformation that integrates mind, body, spirit, and strategy.
Because you deserve to trust yourself completely.