Analysis for Anonymous, 23 July 1997

This is how you described the room:

It's a small room with yellow walls. It's very warm. There's a bed, a desk, a chair and a guitar.

The initial room is the subject’s childhood. What interests us here is the general atmosphere of the room, in addition to the level of furnishings described by the subject. This comfortable room suggests a childhood that was pleasant. The items in the room are average, which tells us that the subject has the normal memories of childhood. The presence of the guitar might be an interest in music as a child.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

The forest is airy and brightly lit, with lot of pine trees.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. That the forest is very bright tells us that the subject had extensive freedom while growing up. Tall trees imply that the adults had a strong influence on the subject.

This is how you described the path:

The path is wide and easy to follow, but has not seen much use.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. The visibility of the path tells us that the subject had a good idea of what to expect from adolescence. A wide path indicates that the subject had numerous options for emotional growth at this time.

This is how you described the water:

The path ends at a pool in the midst of a small creek. The water is very clear. It looks like a beaver dam created the pool.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex. Slow, gently moving water suggests a passive, restrained, calm sex drive.

When you came to the water, you crossed it.

The subject is open to new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

There's a brown, unlabeled beer bottle on the ground.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A practical container indicates that the subject is pragmatic when it comes to questions of marriage.

You left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

Somebody's car.

The key is the ideal career for the subject. What interests us here is how the key appears (representing how others view the career) and what it may open (representing the subject’s goals for the career). An ordinary-looking key suggests that the subject desires a nondescript career. Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a career.

You confronted the bear.

In a crisis, the subject prefers the direct, no-nonsense approach.

When you came to the wall, you turned around and walked back along the path.

The wall represents death: by avoiding it altogether, the subject shows complete denial about the possibility of death.

See another test from 1997