the years, I have conducted workshops, seminars, and training programs for teams and organizations. Working as a consultant, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with professionals from diverse fields, constantly enriching the system with new methods. Reflecting on this journey, it is clear that there were moments when something special was needed – when the approach required practices, allies, messengers, and the persistence of dedicated individuals to sustain and expand the system’s potential.
Now, everyone can participate in this journey and master the system for managing their environment through the development of narrative intelligence. Simply put, the time has come to share this story with a broader audience.
People often tell me that I withhold something in each book. That is not entirely true. Dessert cannot be served before the main course, and I have often been tempted to publish all the materials I have accumulated in one book. But I convinced myself that the time was not yet ripe to reveal the full scope of how narratives influence our lives.
Those who have read my previous book, The Power of Narrative Intelligence, will find new supporting research here, as well as the principles, methods, and techniques for how narratives influence individuals and their environment.
The book comprises five parts. Part One, Neurophysiology, focuses on research and discoveries that have opened new perspectives on understanding behavior, providing fertile ground for improving methods of influence.
Part Two delves into Narratology, exploring the structure of narratives, their construction, and the critical elements of their impact.
Part Three, Modeling, outlines techniques for creating and transforming narratives to align with an author’s goals and intentions. It addresses how altering a narrative’s architecture can unlock unparalleled energy for influence.
Part Four, Monopolies, offers examples of how societal institutions historically monopolize narratives to shape the lives and destinies of individuals.
Finally, Part Five, Motivation, examines the energetic doctrine of narratives – what motivation truly is, how to create spaces for motivating narratives, and how to sustain them.
As optimists, we have endured two world wars and seven seasons of Game of Thrones, eagerly awaiting their sequels and prequels as if they were arrivals of the Messiah. Despite the uncertainty brought by pandemics, crises, and conflicts, we continue to envision a hopeful future.
The task of the artist, at times, is not to obstruct the viewer’s vision. The task of each individual is not to hinder their own life – or at the very least, to live a life that is authentically their own. In a space confined by desires, imagination, and fears, people often replicate the fading emptiness of others’ meanings. The shadows of our consciousness are darker than we realize. Let yourself invite light into that space.
I wish you delight and success on this journey. And may you be spared from the narratives of enemies and adversaries.
PART ONE. NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
Homo Narrare – The Creator of the Present, Past, and Future
People believe in what they believe, and see what they believe, but they do what they have been told.
A narrative is a coherent account with added meaning and purpose.
Over the last 3,000 years, and especially in light of recent scientific discoveries, human history has revealed a profound truth: our minds are fundamentally shaped by the narratives we create. It might be time to give ourselves a new name: Homo narrare, which could be liberally translated as «the storytelling human.» Instead of Descartes’ declaration, «I think, therefore I am,» perhaps we should consider a new motto for humanity: «I tell stories, therefore I am.» These narratives are not just entertaining tales or idle musings; they are the very programs by which we define who we are, find meaning, decide how to act, and engage with the world. But we do not merely tell stories to ourselves and others – we live within them. Our concepts of life, meaning, and reality itself are built from, or borrowed from, these intricate systems of narratives.
For centuries, we have been asking the same existential questions: «Why are we here? What are we looking for? What is the purpose of what we do?» And for centuries, we have been mistaken in our answers. This is because we fail to recognize how much of what we are and how we see the world is shaped by elaborate constructs made up of words, images, emotions, and ideas. These narratives often contain fragments of truth and pieces of personal meaning, but they are just as often imbued with the goals, values, and interests of others.
We still do not fully understand the workings of our own consciousness. We do not know how our behaviors are formed, how we learn, or why we can be so easily convinced of nearly anything. Most critically, we do not yet know how to improve these processes. How can we make our minds clearer, more controllable, and more effective – like a finely tuned instrument for navigating life? This question is urgent because life is a treasure worth perfecting. By understanding and mastering our minds, we could fill our existence with more happiness, prosperity, and freedom – the outcomes we deserve. The brain of Homo narrare is a marvelously powerful machine, capable of modeling and reshaping both the present and the future. Yet something holds us back from fully unlocking its potential.
Human history shows a repeated cycle of moving from one form of slavery to another. Today, slavery has taken on its most insidious form: mental, invisible, and intangible. This new form of slavery is built on the very narrative systems we have created and the technologies that spread them. Conquering people or nations physically is no longer necessary. All it takes is captivating their minds, attracting their attention, and steering their thoughts in a desired direction.
The dominant narratives that shape society often do not come from the people themselves, though they are made to seem as if they do. Instead, these stories reflect the views and interests of those in power – political parties, banks, corporations, elites, and militaries. Many theories have been constructed to justify why billions of people must follow the goals and values of a small few. Yet the notion that we live in an age ruled by reason is largely a myth. Evidence to the contrary surrounds us in the form of crises, wars, and disasters.
This situation is made possible by a societal structure that limits our time for reflection. The system overwhelms us with narratives that demand our attention, constantly pulling us in with fear, seduction, advice, or promises of salvation. Yet these narratives rarely address genuine threats or lead us toward authentic goals. More often, they are designed for profit – just business, and nothing more.
People today live in a constant state of false urgency. Thinking becomes shallow, and choices are reduced to superficial options. Although we appear to be free, we are held captive by the intangible chains of dominant narratives. The current system of control functions to ensure a fragile agreement between the people and the institutions that govern them. This agreement supports an economic order where a few grow wealthier, the majority grow poorer, and no one grows rebellious – or even bored.
Through mass media and communication platforms, the system relentlessly works to claim our attention, dominate our time, and control our lives. The tragedy is that much of the information we consume and the narratives we adopt about the world – and about ourselves – are implanted to serve purposes that are rarely aligned with our own. The trick lies in how seamlessly this happens. Most of the time, we do not even notice. And when we do catch a glimpse – when we see the «rabbit ears» sticking out of the magician’s hat – it only means the magician has slipped up. The real masters of this grand illusion are so skilled that we will never see the «ears.» Even if we do, we are quick to convince ourselves they were never there in the first place.
The first step toward breaking free is to begin looking behind the curtain of this elaborate spectacle. It is a journey that promises to transform your understanding of the world, yourself, and your life. Only you have