Author's Preface
Before talking about NLP, invisible structure or method, Giovanni tells the personal story behind the "The Invisible Blade" series. A text for anyone who wants to understand the author, not just the books.
How would you describe your life experience, up to today?
As the path that led me to understand that there are no resourceless people — only resourceless states of mind.
My life hasn't been easy. It has been full of difficulty, doubt and uncertainty, like so many other people's. I made plenty of mistakes, and I learned just as much from them. I learned to get back up after every fall and start again, however hard it was, and as I threw myself into new adventures and challenges without shying away, I inevitably felt enthusiasm grow back. Yes, enthusiasm — which, despite everything, I've always managed to keep alive, like an inner fire. It wasn't easy to keep it burning, but it was a choice, every single time. My secret? My curiosity. Toward the world, toward things, toward people. Always curious. I was a curious child, to the point of taking objects apart just to understand how they were made. To understand how they worked. Many of them never worked again. In some cases I even risked hurting myself badly. And when, in my life, everything looked dark and seemed meaningless, in those moments of discouragement, I would tell myself: "Come on, Giovanni, keep going — just one more step, and let's see what good thing life has waiting around the corner." And, without fail, something would always arrive that made that extra effort worth it. That's where I began to understand that life doesn't change all at once — it changes one step at a time. I remember a walk in the mountains. At one point the trail had collapsed. There was no safe way back. I decided to climb a short stretch to pick up the trail higher up. After a brief climb, there was no way through, and I literally had to walk over rhododendron bushes, they were so thick and tangled. It felt like walking on clouds. It was a wonderful experience. I hadn't given up, hadn't lost heart. Just as I learned then, in life too, when there's no clear, predetermined path, you sometimes have to leave the beaten track to reach your goals. Because sometimes the road isn't found — it's built.
Another trait that has always defined me is a habit of challenging myself — and of pushing back against the judgments that people, "teachers" and professors handed me, often without mercy and unable to understand who I really was. I thank every one of them, one by one, because — given my character — they became a source of challenge. I remember the math teacher who, without fail, handed me failing grades on every test, adding, relentlessly, that I would never understand math; the physics teacher who gave me a near-failing mark and drew a little donkey in red pen at the bottom of my test; the electrical engineering teacher who threw peanuts at me during class. I could go on for hours with stories like these. Then came an unexpected encounter with a different math teacher, who actually taught me math and made me fall in love with it — and that's where the magic happened. Today I'm an engineer, and I've practiced that profession with satisfaction for more than 25 years. I didn't reach my goals for them — I reached them for myself. To be proud of myself, and of the man I've become. I didn't become what others thought I would; I became what I chose to build. Amid the moments of discouragement, exhaustion and despair, in those rare moments of respite, I stayed alert to the opportunities life offered me. And I always seized them. And every time I sensed a chance for personal growth, I invested time and resources without hesitation. And life often rewarded me for that persistence. Because life gives back — but only to those who keep moving.
And finally, my faith in God. That's what I call Him. You can call it whatever you like: a relationship with the universe, a connection to everything. It doesn't matter. I believe our soul is immortal, and that this is why we're called to do good toward ourselves and others. I've always imagined meeting Him one day and being able to humbly say: "I have fought the good fight, and I did not lose faith" — knowing it would be true. My faith has been tested many times over these years, in many forms and through challenges and losses, both emotional and financial. There have been dark moments, with dark thoughts, but, as if by miracle, something would always appear in my life: a person with illuminating words, a line from a book, an unexpected and beautiful sunrise, tender blue eyes, like the sea, looking at me with love. A son, and people to give unconditional love to. And countless other genuine tendernesses. Grateful and strengthened by these things, I moved forward again with even more faith, trusting like a child in the arms of a loving, merciful Father. Yes, I'm certain of it: God is good, and His goodness shows up in our lives in a thousand different ways, chosen by Him according to who we are, to make us resonate with His love. You only need to look, with attention and curiosity, at what happens every day. Because of my faith, I honored my debts, even the enormous ones — even when, more than once, I had the chance to walk away from my responsibilities. But people had trusted me, and I chose to honor that trust by committing myself fully, paying everything back. Sacrificing, more than once, everything I had. Because integrity isn't convenient — it's a choice. I'd like to share with you an idea from a film that is very entertaining, but no less illuminating for it — the story of a man asked by God to build an ark. Its spirit stayed with me: I don't believe God sends patience already made to those who ask for it. I believe He sends the occasion to practice it. The same is true for courage. The same is true for love within a family: it doesn't arrive on its own, it arrives as a possibility — and it is up to us to seize it.
Coming back now to why I wrote this book, which later grew into the editorial series "The Invisible Blade Method™." The desire to grow. At a certain point in life, you have to evolve. New challenges at work and at home made me reflect on my communication and interpersonal skills. Through a dear friend, Milo Bazzocchi, I discovered the world of NLP and the school he was training at as a coach. Intrigued by this way of understanding human thought, I enrolled and completed the Master in Coaching. Over roughly two years, I finished the entire training program, understanding and learning a great deal, and eventually earning certification as a Professional Mental Coach (Certified by Richard Bandler's Society of NLP). I was also able to attend the Master Advanced Practitioner of NLP and Neuro Hypnotic Repatterning courses, taught by Richard Bandler in Milano Marittima. The world of coaching fascinates me, and I'm certain this is only the beginning of my path in this field. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, because I've lived it myself, that we all carry a better version of ourselves, waiting to emerge and take charge of our own life to reach unexpected, extraordinary goals. Nothing is missing inside you — you're only missing access to what you already have. On this path, remember: whenever you look at where you stand, take stock, or simply criticize yourself, pause for a moment and, after a deep breath, simply tell yourself:
"I am a work in progress!"
In these pages, which tell a story of change — my own change, and that of so many fellow travelers — I want to reveal to you the principles that let you become the best version of yourself, and guide you, step by step, toward that extraordinary goal.
And once you've transformed yourself, you'll in turn be able to help others walk their own path. Toward a fuller, more fulfilling, more abundant existence.
Change is within reach. Begin your journey.
One recommendation only: enjoy the journey. It will be extraordinary.
Now that I've told you something about myself, I want to tell you something about you.
We probably don't know each other. And yet, if you've made it this far, there's something we both already know: a part of you is looking for something. Not necessarily something big, or something far away. Sometimes it's something simple and specific: more clarity, more freedom, more coherence between what you feel and what you do.
It's not a coincidence that you're here.
I found NLP at a moment when I needed it, even though at the time I didn't yet know that with such clarity. I went through a serious, long, demanding training path. I met extraordinary teachers. I applied every tool first on myself — on my fears, on my contradictions, on the patterns that kept repeating despite my best intentions. And I saw what actually changes when you stop being at the mercy of the way you think and start directing it.
This book was born from that. Not from theory. From an experience tested against reality.
What you'll find in these pages won't ask you to believe. It will ask you to observe, to apply, to verify. Because NLP isn't a philosophy: it's a structure. And structures, once truly understood, produce results that once seemed impossible.
Are you ready?
Then let's begin. With you.
The series in three volumes
The series "The Invisible Blade Method™ — Strategic Coaching & Neuro-Linguistic Engineering" isn't just a reading path — it's a structured progression:
In the first volume, you'll begin observing how you construct your own experience, recognizing perceptual filters, automatic patterns, emotional states and internal dialogue. You'll discover the principles of effective communication and the foundations of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, developing greater precision in observing, understanding and interpreting what you once took for granted — in yourself and in others.
In the second volume, you'll move into intervention: you'll go deeper and use more advanced tools to work on internal structure — your own, or that of the people you guide — reaching deeper levels. You'll learn to intervene on internal states and to build strategies and processes that generate concrete, intentional transformation.
In the third volume, you'll move into application: you'll bring all of this into operational reality, structuring coaching strategies and mastering advanced tools such as timeline work and Ericksonian hypnosis to generate stable, lasting change. You'll develop and train the ability to guide yourself and others in a way that's conscious, coherent and repeatable.