The most common reason for being unable to manifest a desired outcome is a past life block or wound, otherwise known as a karmic complex. 

A karmic complex is a wound that was initiated in the soul following some kind of traumatic defeat in a past life. It resides in the subtle energy bodies and according to Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist teachings is carried over from one life to the next until it is resolved.

I’ll give you an example of such a past life wound.

Let’s say that you are a woman living in Greece during WW2. Your employers are Sephardic Jews and you live in their home, working as a cook. You have very little support or protection apart from that which your employers offer. You have no money apart from the small amount you’re paid each month. 

Although no one in Greece knows about the concentration camps yet, when the Nazis arrive in Greece, it’s clear that something is very wrong. The Jews are a target and the evidence is all around you. You are loyal to your employers but you feel uncomfortable, and you have nowhere to go. Your employers don’t listen to your concerns or anyone else’s. So you stay employed by them and housed by them, out of survival and also out of loyalty.

One day, you are rounded up and taken off to Auschwitz. Terrible things happen to you when you are rounded up, and terrible things happen in the months before your death in Auschwitz. 

You saw it through to the end, even though it was a terrible, soul-crushing disaster. You tried to take responsibility for (or somehow help with) a mess you didn’t create and couldn’t help with. You didn’t want to be that person who runs off to save herself and abandon those you were loyal to, to a fate they in no way deserved (even though it would have been the best course of action all round.) 

This would be a karmic complex which revolves around following the person who is housing/employing you into disaster, no matter what. And maybe having your life ruined in the process. 

(And there probably would be a separate karmic complex from the same life around being dehumanised in the concentration camps.)

These karmic complexes can sometimes be quite subtle and hard to pin down (and to do so requires a lot of insight and self-awareness), but in this article I’m going to explain how you can attempt to do so in a journalling process.

If you suspect you have a karmic complex blocking your manifestation, here’s how to begin identifying it…

1. First of all, write out and be clear with yourself: what have you been unable to do, be or have this in life?

Some possible examples: 

I have not been able to get out of debt

I have not been able to heal myself of X

I have not been able to buy a house

I have not been able to have a healthy, lasting romantic relationship

I have not been able to build a successful business.

Be really clear about what it is, with no shame or blame attached.

Also, don’t be distracted by the fact that some things are HARD in life and don’t relinquish ownership by telling yourself you haven’t been able to do X because in this economy it’s really hard or because there are no good men around, or because there’s too much junk in our foods these days to get healthy. 

Yes, there really are some bad systemic conditions in place in this world which make some things more challenging to manifest, but those without karmic complexes still manage it — they get more opportunities and help.

2. Next write out, which situations in life are repeating for you?

What keeps happening that you don’t want?

Maybe you keep getting screwed over financially.

Maybe your partner keeps leaving you. 

Maybe you can’t stop arguing with your partner over one specific thing.

Maybe your income keeps getting taken away.

Maybe you keep losing the people around you.

Maybe you haven’t been able to meet a partner because you feel like no one values what you have to offer.

Maybe you can never push yourself to achieve a certain thing that you really want to, despite knowing how to do it.

These can all be symptoms of a karmic complex. 

Karmic complexes cause us to repeat situations over and over, like an echo of the original trauma that originated the complex in a past life. Being able to pinpoint what is repeating, is a big clue to the essence of the original trauma. 

If you’re willing to do so, you could also describe in writing the repeating situation in a lot of detail to give you more insight. 

• What does it involve? 

• What annoys/upsets you about it? 

• How do you behave in self-defeating ways or foolish ways, or ways you don’t understand and that you may even be ashamed of?

• In what ways do you behave neurotically around this situation?

This can help you to gain extra insight into the complex.

Important note: Working with karmic complexes and going through this process requires compassion for yourself. Repeating patterns aren’t your fault — they’re wounds from past experiences trying to protect you.

Note also that these repeating situations should not be things that repeat for a little bit and then disappear forever. We’re talking major, lasting themes, things that follow you around in a lifelong way when you don’t want it. 

By the way, another way of coming at this second question is: what traumas have you experienced in this life? Traumas are very often (although not in every case) an echo of a karmic complex. If you have experienced too many traumas to even list, this means that you likely have multiple karmic complexes. (As an example, I had 4 karmic complexes and an ACE score of 8.) 

If you only had one or two traumas, write them down, because they will often be echoes of the original past life trauma that initiated your complex.

3. Now, consider repeating dreams and nightmares, especially ones that started in childhood

These can be a major clue because childhood nightmares that repeat will often give us insight into the nature of the trauma that created our karmic complex. 

When we are children, we are closer to the spirit world because we came from it recently and we haven’t been conditioned to reject its existence yet. We have more access to information about our past lives. (After the age of 6-7, that closeness starts to fade.)

So, if you had (or still have) a repeating nightmare that began before the age of 6-7, pay attention.

A possible example would be if you have had bad dreams about children drowning in a lake and this began before the age of 6-7, you would likely have a past life trauma related to a child drowning in a lake.

Let’s look at another possible method for pinpointing a karmic complex…

4. An expert on karmic complexes, evolutionary astrologer Patricia Walsh says that to pinpoint your karmic complex, fill in these blanks:

I always _____________

I never _____________

Try the above and see if any more insight comes to you.

5. Next, look at everything you’ve written down together and maybe you can see some themes. 

Do make sure to separate the unwanted repeating situations if there is more than one (as you could be looking at separate complexes there.) 

See if you can link any of the content together. For example, if you had bad dreams in childhood, do they seem to link in (in any way) to your traumas in this life, or the situations that have been repeating themselves? 

I’ll give you an example of how this can sometimes look:

As a child, I had nightmares about my brother drowning in a lake. 

In this life, three of my siblings once almost died by drowning in a lake.

In a previous life, I drowned my newborn child in a lake deliberately. 

The essence of my karmic complex in this case was: Failing a child (or a small creature who is dependent on me) in a grave way. 

I don’t have children but I am very neurotic about other small creatures. I didn’t want my cat flying in the plane over water when we moved from NZ to Paraguay and I had nightmares about him drowning. I have 16 very young kittens (who aren’t mine) living on my rental property and am currently stressing about what to do about the swimming pool to make it safer when they begin to walk and explore.

You can see how that karmic complex has played out over time. (I’ve prioritised resolving other more impactful complexes first, but this one is on my list to address through past life regression!)

6. Once you’ve got all this info written down, do the following exercise:

First, centre yourself with this breathing exercise: breathe in to the count of 4. Hold to the count of 4. Breathe out to the count of 8 (do this 3 times.)

Then say:

My higher self, Spirit Guides, Archangels and Guardian angels. Please help me to pinpoint my karmic complex(es) in this life so that I can finally manifest my desires. Through my thoughts, dreams and experiences, please give me clear insight into the original past life trauma that kicked off my complex, the nature and essence of the karmic complex itself, as well as the negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs that surround it. Guide me to the right way to heal this karmic complex, so that I can be free of my past life experiences and available for the life (or the goal) that is waiting for me. 

Then wait to see what happens next.

Maybe you’ll be guided towards something in particular.

Maybe you’ll have a dream about a past life.

Maybe insight will come to you in your daily meditation. 

Maybe you’ll start noticing really clearly a negative thought pattern running in the background of your consciousness that you never really pinpointed or noticed before.

The process in this article is not a failsafe way to identify a karmic complex — it doesn’t always work for various reasons. Sometimes our intuition and noticing skills aren’t developed enough. Other times we have too many karmic complexes and we can’t parse out what the heck is going on or see the themes. Or we are carrying a lot of unprocessed trauma and can’t look at our trauma or what has happened to us in this life yet. 

But this process can give some big clues and insight for some people, especially for those who are very intuitive and who have done some prior therapy or trauma processing work.

Three more ways to identify a karmic complex…

1. Do a past life regression

I personally prefer forms of past life regression that involve healing and resolution. My favourite method of past life regression is Deep Memory Process, which uses psychodrama and is somatically based. 

A DMP session can help you to both identify and then resolve a karmic complex.

2. Have an Evolutionary Manifesting™ reading with me or someone else

My superpower is being able to research and describe in detail your karmic complex. I can pinpoint why exactly you haven’t been able to manifest a particular thing into your life yet. I don’t shy away from any situation, whether it’s severe or more minor. I’ll look at health conditions and illnesses, lawsuits, bad financial situations and unhealthy/dysfunctional relationships. Nothing is off limits – I’ll look at whatever you need help with.

I can also get guidance on when to resolve your karmic complex, and most importantly, how.  

(I also teach professional intuitives and healers how to do this for their clients.)

I offer two options for my Evolutionary Manifesting readings — a shorter version and a premium, ‘no stones unturned about your karmic complex’ version.

(These readings are on sale before 10pm EST on 15th November.)

And I have a practitioner directory here. Since the modality was only created in Feb 2025 and it usually takes months to learn, it is a bit sparse, but new practitioners will be added soon!

Another way to seek out Evolutionary Manifesting practitioners is by Googling. (Some students won’t ever be added to the directory because they chose not to be professionally certified, but they offer readings.)

If you have no financial means to have this reading but feel you need one, another option is to email me and I can put you on a list and try to connect you in time with a student who is learning to do this type of reading in the future. Readings with a student usually cost between $5 and $50 US and the quality of the reading can vary since they are students. Please only get in touch if you can’t afford a reading – I prefer to reserve these practice readings for those who truly lack the opportunity to sign up with me or anyone else.

3. Have an Evolutionary Astrology session

Evolutionary astrology is a type of astrology that looks into your soul’s journey across lifetimes and can help identify karmic patterns. While I don’t offer this myself, if astrology resonates with you more than intuitive readings, this can be another insightful avenue for exploring your karmic complexes. Patricia Walsh is one practitioner who specialises in this approach. Another is Patty Hall. 

In conclusion…

Identifying your karmic complex is the first step toward resolving it and finally manifesting what you haven’t been able to so far in life. Whether through journalling, past life regression, or an Evolutionary Manifesting reading, the key is bringing these unconscious karmic patterns into conscious awareness. Then the healing and transformation can begin.

PS. I wrote a follow up article which can be found here: How to Resolve Your Karmic Complex & Unblock Your Manifestations