A mental block is an invisible stop that keeps you from doing something you want and know how to do. You plan to send the offer, and you don’t. You mean to raise your price, and you can’t. Mental blocks are not laziness or a lack of willpower. They are old protective patterns, and the fastest way to overcome one is to find which layer of you it lives in, then use a tool that can reach that layer.
This page explains what mental blocks are, why the usual advice often fails, and how to find the layer a block lives in using David Cameron Gikandi’s 6-Layer Model.
What are mental blocks?
Think of a mental block as a brake. Your foot is on the gas: you want the result, you have the skills, you have a plan. But something else is pressing the brake at the same time. The car shakes. You burn energy and go nowhere.
That brake was usually installed for a good reason. Somewhere early in life, being seen, asking for things or doing well felt unsafe. The pattern that protected you then is still running now, long after the danger has passed.
Mental blocks often show up as:
- putting off the one task that would move things forward,
- freezing or going blank right before you need to speak, sell or publish,
- starting over just as something is nearly ready,
- losing interest in a goal the moment it gets close,
- a heavy, flat feeling that comes out of nowhere on a good day.
Why “just push through” doesn’t work
The usual advice for overcoming mental blocks is to push harder, think positively or break the task into smaller steps. Those can help with mild resistance. But a real block tends to come back, and pushing makes many people feel worse, because now they’re failing at the fix too.
The reason is simple once you see it. Most advice works on one layer, usually your thoughts. But blocks don’t only live in thoughts. Some live in your body. Some live in your habits. Some live in your relationships. Using a thinking tool on a body-level block is like trying to fix a leaking pipe by repainting the wall.
The six layers where mental blocks live
The 6-Layer Model is a map David built for finding where a block actually sits. A block can live in one layer, several, or all six. Here they are in plain English.
1. Essence
A disconnection from your core self. It can feel like being lost, or not knowing who you are or what you want anymore.
2. Ego
Protection of an old identity. It sounds like “I’m not that kind of person” whenever a new step would change how you see yourself.
3. Narrative
The stories and beliefs you tell yourself, such as “I’m not good enough” or “people like me don’t earn that”. Our article on the Narrative layer goes deeper.
4. Somatic
Patterns held in the body: a tight chest, a racing heart, a frozen feeling. These are nervous-system responses, and they can override any thought. See how the model handles somatic work.
5. Behavioural
Habits that run on autopilot. It sounds like “I keep doing the same thing” even when you’ve decided not to.
6. Relational
Dynamics with other people. Sometimes the people around you are invested, often without knowing it, in you staying the same.
How to overcome mental blocks: find the layer first
Here is a simple way to use the model on a block you’re facing right now.
- Name the block in one line. For example: “I can’t make myself send the sales email.”
- Notice what happens when you try. Do you hear a thought? Feel something in your body? Find yourself doing something else? Think of a person’s reaction?
- Match it to a layer. A thought points to Narrative. A body feeling points to Somatic. Automatic avoidance points to Behavioural. A person points to Relational. “That’s not me” points to Ego.
- Pick a tool for that layer. A story can be questioned and rewritten. A body response needs calming and patience first. A habit needs a small new routine. A relationship may need a boundary or an honest talk.
- Take one small step. Then notice what changed, and what didn’t. Blocks often live in more than one layer, so the next step may be on another layer.
If a block brings up strong distress, panic or old pain, please work with a qualified therapist. The Somatic and Essence layers in particular often need more patience and more support than a page can give.
What a mental block felt like for David
David Cameron Gikandi has described his own biggest block in his words: “No matter what I was doing, as soon as I got close to success— That invisible force would push back.” And: “Or like I was trying to run through molasses. Held back. Then the dark, heavy blanket would come on.”
It took him nearly two decades to see that force for what it was: an old alarm from childhood, still sounding. What helped was seeing it clearly. As he puts it: “As soon as you start to see through the trick, the trick progressively stops working.”
That is the point of finding the layer. You stop fighting a ghost and start working with something you can see.
Mental blocks, mindset blocks and inner blocks
You’ll hear many names: mindset blocks, inner blocks, energy blocks, money blocks. They describe the same basic thing from different angles. “Mindset block” tends to point at the Narrative layer. “Energy block” often points at what we’d call the Somatic layer. “Money block” names the area of life where the block shows up. The 6-Layer Model helps because it doesn’t care what the block is called. It asks where it lives.
Why blocks are not a character flaw
It is worth saying plainly: having mental blocks does not mean you are broken or weak. It means you learned to protect yourself, and you learned well. Our work at MiraclesFor.me starts from that. We believe the results you want are not blocked by a missing skill. They’re held back by brakes that were handed to you. In our words:
Because manifesting is as natural as breathing. It is already running, and it is already obeying the conditioning it was handed. So the work is releasing the brakes, rising above that conditioning, and building real structure and flow around abundance — the mindset, the financial plumbing, the entrepreneurial steps.
Releasing a block is half the work. The other half is building the business structure that the released energy can flow into. That is why the inner side, which lives in Mind & Heart, always sits next to practical business work.
Questions people ask
What causes mental blocks?
Most mental blocks are old protective patterns. They formed when doing a certain thing, like being seen or asking for money, felt unsafe. The pattern keeps running long after the danger is gone.
How do I overcome a mental block quickly?
Find which layer it lives in first: thought, body, habit, relationship, identity or core self. Then use a tool that fits that layer. A quick fix aimed at the wrong layer usually doesn’t last.
Are mental blocks the same as procrastination?
Procrastination is often a symptom of a mental block. The delay is the visible part. The block is the reason underneath it.
Can a mental block live in the body?
Yes. Many do. If you feel tightness, panic or a frozen feeling when you try to act, the block may sit in what the 6-Layer Model calls the Somatic layer. Calming the body usually needs to come before changing the thought.
Where to go from here
If you want to go further on your own, David’s mini-course Release Your Brakes In 3 Days is a gentle start. The Abundance GPS masterclass shows the whole approach in one sitting.
And if you’d like to work through your blocks with others, the Abundance GPS community on Skool is built for exactly that. We help conscious entrepreneurs with adverse childhood experiences get out of their own way and release their brakes — so they can multiply their income and magnify their impact. Every tier opens with a 7-day free trial. Join the Abundance GPS community.
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