Do you tense up the moment you try to recognize that you actually are powerful, important, smart, unique, insert whatever other word truly fits who you are? There’s a very specific discomfort that shows up in your body the second you try to acknowledge it, even if you’ve never had language for it before.

It’s not insecurity, and it’s not a lack of confidence. It’s the feeling of sensing something real and substantial inside yourself and then immediately wanting to shut it down.

Thoughts like “who do you think you are,” “don’t take yourself so seriously,” or “relax” come in fast. Not because you don’t believe in yourself, but because your body won’t even let your mind go there.

If this sounds familiar, this isn’t an ego issue. You are an old soul, whether you’ve realized it in your lifetime or not, and this, my friend, is a memory issue.

Why Old Souls Feel This So Strongly

When one of the members in my Support Space asked me this question, I remember letting out a very specific exhale.

It almost felt like “oh my goodness, I’m so glad she asked. People need to hear this” and it brought back countless conversations I have with my VIP or 1:1 clients.

This pattern shows up almost exclusively in old souls, especially those with healer energy. You know…the ones who feel others deeply, who hold space naturally, who don’t have great boundaries, and feel responsible for everyone’s emotions around them?

For old souls, greatness doesn’t feel neutral. It feels visible. And visibility has rarely been without consequence in their life.

Somewhere along the way, consciously or unconsciously, you learned that when you took up space, something shifted around you. Someone reacted. Someone needed you. Someone felt uncomfortable or threatened. Your nervous system clocked that immediately and adjusted.

That adjustment has been working overtime in your life ever since.

The Part Most People Don’t Understand About Old Souls

Old souls don’t struggle with worth. They struggle with what their presence does to other people.

When you feel your own depth, your system doesn’t celebrate it. It scans for danger.

Your mind jumps to:

→ Who’s uncomfortable now?
→ Who’s going to need something from me?
→ What responsibility just landed on my shoulders?

That’s not humility. It’s hyper-vigilance. And it’s usually from lifetimes of this wiring. That’s why the response feels so visceral and why no matter how many therapy sessions you’ve spent talking about, it’s still very alive inside of you.

Over time, your body learned that staying a little smaller, a little quieter, a little more manageable kept you safe. So even at the thought of sensing your own greatness, your system pulls you back before anything can land.

Here Is What Is Actually Going On

Your nervous system does not believe greatness is bad. It believes being seen is risky.

Why? Because you are an old soul who has carried responsibility across lifetimes and as a result, visibility feels tied to obligation, sacrifice, responsibility, etc., and it has become so overwhelming in your system that your system flags it as extreme danger – hence the visceral reaction you get.

So your body does what it has always done. It keeps you contained enough to function, helpful enough to be needed, and muted enough to stay safe. Then you reach a point where you feel stuck, like something should have clicked by now but hasn’t. Or, (and I bet this will sound familiar!), it feels like something should have manifested by now but hasn’t.

It’s not because something is wrong with you. It’s because the part of you that learned to fear visibility has been running the show even if consciously you thought you were living from a very different place.

Here’s How To Begin Unwinding It

First, I want you to think of an onion. At the center of this onion is the root of what has been keeping you stuck in this belief.

We have to get through layers to get to that root. Here’s how you start that process:

Step 1: Remember The Age

When you’re calm or ideally in a meditative state, ask yourself this question:

What is the first age I remember learning that taking myself seriously was a bad thing?

Go with the first number that comes to your mind without overthinking it.

That age is what your conscious mind remembers and is the first golden nugget here.

Step 2: Let the Memories Surface

Once you have the age, notice what wants to come up.

This is the detective phase. Get the who, what, where, when, why, or at least as much as you can.

Who was involved?

What happened?

What emotions are coming up for you in real time? Let those come out!

You’re not digging for trauma.
You’re acknowledging what your mind wants to bring up.

Speak it out loud.
Write it down.
Do whatever feels best for you to process this.

Step 3: Meet The Past Version Of You

Okay now you’re going to want to get back into a meditative state.

Some of you will be able to sit and meditate, others may want to do this before bed if meditation is hard for you.

Think of you at the age that came forward in Step #1. Visualize that version of you.

Let them show up however they do. Shut down. Angry. Avoidant. Overwhelmed. Tantruming.

This is often the part of you that’s been running your life energetically, trying to keep you safe by keeping you small. This is where something will likely click for you. You’ll see yourself at that age in whatever state they present themselves in, and you’ll start to realize why things haven’t come together yet.

Seeing that clearly can be incredibly relieving and your body will start to release this trigger/block,etc. naturally at this point.

Step 4: Take the Driver’s Seat Back

When that version of you eventually calms down you can begin to say something along the lines of:

“Thank you for protecting me. I can take it from here,” and at this point, I like to imagine myself holding their hand and bringing them next to me while showing I am leading now.

This isn’t you abandoning them.
You’re bringing them with you.

They sit beside you now.
The only difference is that YOU are leading now, not their fearful energy.

This alone can create a massive shift in your reality, even if it’s just the first layer of the onion.

[This is the type of stuff I dive into depth with in my support space]

What To Expect Next

For some of you, whatever comes forward may be the root of the problem and you’ll feel much better.

For others, this may just be the first layer of the onion and then in a few days another age wants to come forward and you keep repeating the process until you get to the root.

It’s very common for old souls to have the root be something from a past life which is a whole other topic and something I talk about a lot inside of my Support Space, but once you get to the root, the discomfort will be gone for good.

This Will Take Time!!

I want you to hear me loud and clear when I say this:

It’s completely normal for this to take time.

For some, this unfolds quickly.

For others, it takes days or weeks.

If nothing comes up at first, that doesn’t mean you’re blocked. It means this hits your system at such a deep level that it’s in deep protection mode.

In this case, you’re going to want to really remind your body how safe you are and how ready you are for the information. If you have a specific question around this, come ask it inside of my support space so I can guide you more specifically!

HERE’S THE LINK TO MY SUPPORT SPACE

One Last Thing I Want You to Hear Clearly

You’re not arrogant for sensing your own greatness. And you’re not responsible for managing how other people respond to your presence.

Many old souls came here to remember their power so others could learn how to do the same. If this resonates, that is already underway in your life.

There’s nothing you need to rush. Nothing you need to prove.

Just something you’re slowly allowing back online.

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If this stirred something inside of you and you don’t want to rush past it, this is exactly the kind of conversation we have inside my Support Space.

It’s not a place to fix yourself or figure everything out. It’s a calm space where these patterns get unpacked gently, layer by layer, as they surface in your life in realtime.

If you want somewhere to stay with this instead of pushing through it, that’s what my support space is for.

You can explore it here!