A PA28 COM PLT ATTEMPTS TO MAKE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO APC RWY 6 VOR DME APCH WHEN HE HAD BEEN CLRED OUT THE 230 DEG RADIAL BY ZOA; CA.

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I WAS FLYING 'UNDER THE HOOD' AND CALLED ZOA FOR A PRACTICE VOR 6 APCH TO APC. I WAS ABOUT 5 MI W OF THE SGD VOR. ZOA GAVE ME DIRECT SGD; OUTBOUND ON THE 230 DEG RADIAL. I SET MY OBS TO 230(?) DEGS AND FLEW MORE OR LESS DIRECT TO SCAGGS; EVEN THOUGH I WAS CORRECTING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION! I THEN PICKED UP A 050 DEG HDG (FINAL APCH COURSE); WITH THE OBS STILL SET TO 230 DEGS. I WAS GETTING MORE CONFUSED BY THE SECOND; AS I MADE CORRECTIONS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. I WAS ALSO DSNDING. IN OTHER WORDS; I WAS FLYING THE APCH! I KNEW I WAS SCREWING UP; BUT ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT GET FOCUSED ON THE SOLUTION. MY SAFETY PLT (WHO ISN'T INST RATED) HAD EVEN QUESTIONED MY HDG AND ALT A COUPLE OF TIMES. AT THIS POINT; I REMOVED MY HOOD AND TOLD ZOA THAT I WAS SCREWED UP AND RETURNING TO THE VOR. THEY QUESTIONED MY INTENTIONS AND THEN; PROBABLY AFTER OBSERVING ME ON RADAR; CANCELED ME AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT NAPA TWR. I WAS WITHIN NAPA'S AIRSPACE AT THIS TIME SO I CALLED THEM; EXPLAINED BRIEFLY AND TOLD THEM I WAS CLRING THEIR AIRSPACE. IN MY YRS OF FLYING; THIS IS THE MOST BIZARRE THING I'VE HAD HAPPEN TO ME. I SIMPLY COULD NOT GET MY MIND TO WORK ON A SOLUTION TO A VERY SIMPLE PROB. I'VE READ NUMEROUS ACCIDENT RPTS (MOSTLY FROM COCKPIT VOICE RECORDERS) WHERE THIS TYPE OF THING HAS OCCURRED; AND WONDERED HOW PROFESSIONAL PLTS COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I DID NOT THINK THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ME -- ESPECIALLY WITHOUT AN EMER OF SOME TYPE THAT COMPLETELY OVERLOADED MY BRAIN. I NOW KNOW THAT IT CAN HAPPEN; BUT WHAT I DON'T KNOW IS HOW TO BREAK THE CYCLE. IN THIS CASE; I WAS LUCKY SINCE I WAS VFR. I LANDED; HAD LUNCH AND TALKED THINGS OVER WITH MY FRIEND.