This Is Not A Pipe

The Shift

This Is Not A Pipe

In 1929, Belgian surrealist René Magritte unveiled a deceptively simple painting titled The Treachery of Images. It shows a realistic image of a pipe accompanied by the caption, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (“This is not a pipe.”)

At first glance, it feels like a clever joke. Of course, it’s a pipe. What else could it be?

But Magritte wasn’t being coy. He was pointing to a deeper truth: images deceive us. 

This is not a pipe. It’s a painting of a pipe. You can’t stuff it with tobacco, you can’t light it, and you certainly can’t smoke it. It’s merely a representation. It’s an interpretation, a construction of the mind, not the thing itself. 

Magritte was inviting viewers to question the relationship between reality and perception.

Just as we mistake an image for the thing it depicts, we often mistake our thoughts, emotions, and identities for reality.

There is a concept in psychology called cognitive fusion. It refers to being entangled or “fused” with your thoughts, treating them as literal truths rather than passing mental events. 

When fused, you can’t step back from your thoughts. They feel like absolute realities.

Fusion is rooted in a basic human drive to find meaning. We interpret and create narratives to make sense of our inner and outer worlds. It gives us structure. It helps us feel safe, oriented, and prepared.

Especially when things feel uncertain, ambiguous, or painful, we search for coherence. In fact, the amygdala becomes more active in ambiguous situations. The prefrontal cortex tries to resolve ambiguity by creating narrative coherence. Sometimes prematurely, sometimes inaccurately.

"My partner hasn’t texted back… they must be mad at me."
"I always get passed over at work. No one ever wants to help me."
"I haven’t found my person yet. There must be something wrong with me."

Even if the story is painful, the brain often prefers a harsh certainty over open-ended uncertainty, and it rewards resolution with a small dopamine hit.

Many people come to therapy stuck in this self-defeating pattern. They’ve identified that something isn’t working, but they don’t know how to step outside the story they’ve been living in.

Often, the work begins with simply naming what’s happening: This is a story. This is one possible interpretation. 

Many of these stories are shaped by earlier pain, unmet needs, or inherited beliefs. But when we begin to loosen our grip on them, new meanings begin to emerge.

To be clear, this isn’t about denying or invalidating your experience. It’s about reclaiming the freedom to keep your story, revise it, or write a new one entirely.

So, just as the image of the pipe invites us to question the difference between symbol and substance, I invite you to question the meanings you assign to your experiences. 

“What else could this mean? What else might be true?”
“What would it mean if this didn’t mean what I thought it meant?” 
“What is the most empowering story I could tell myself about this experience?”

The Essentials

Your Weekly Toolkit

PERSPECTIVE WHEEL

This is one of my favorite exercises. When you have a problem or situation that you feel stuck in, this practice can help you create new meaning. My Co-Activing Coaches training took an embodied approach, but you can practice this on paper, too. Exercise: Divide the floor into eight sections using tape, placing the decision or topic at the center. Each section represents a different metaphorical perspective. By physically stepping into each space, you embody a new way of seeing the situation—allowing insight to emerge beyond logic alone. (Helpful perspectives: You at 95, an 8-year-old, former teacher or mentor, spirit guide, higher power, Hero(one), an inanimate object nearby, an animal).

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I NEED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING

Dr. Monica Band is a trauma therapist and mental health advocate dedicated to fostering honest, healing conversations across generations. In her new podcast series, I Need To Ask You Something, she helps young people and the adults in their lives confront the questions they’re often too afraid to ask. Each of the 10 episodes brings a courageous conversation to light, guided by Dr. Band’s compassionate expertise. I recently got to chat with Dr. Band, and I think you’ll enjoy her insight as much as I have.

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SLOW MORNINGS

I found this playlist and quite enjoyed it. It is soft tunes for quiet mornings—waking up slowly, coffee brewing, easing into the day.

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