Analysis for Snidely, 28 April 1998

This is how you described the room:

The room is dark and cluttered. There are lots of clothes in the floor, a dresser, a bed, and a bookshelf with lots of well-worn books. The bed is warm, the room slightly colder and chilling after the warmth of the bed. There are a few unremarkable pictures on the walls, which are white (the carpet is brown).

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. An uncomfortable room suggests a childhood that was devoid of happiness. The items in the room are average, which tells us that the subject has the normal memories of childhood.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

Small conifers guard the edge of the forest, but inside, it is all deciduous. Light penetrates enough to see clearly, but it is nevertheless quite shady. There are various insects buzzing around.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Average-sized trees imply the normal influence adults have on a child: neither insignificant nor impressive. Average lighting tells us that the subject received enough attention from the adults to be guided but not oppressed.

This is how you described the path:

Leaves have fallen over parts of the road, and it goes over rocky areas, narrow in some parts, wide in others. Beneath the leaves, the path is clear and worn, but it feels more like an animal trail than a man-made path -- sort of the natural lie of the land, more than anything man-made. You don't feel like you're walking on the path, just walking through the woods.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. Poor visibility of the path tells us the subject was often confused by the changes brought on by adolescence. A narrow path suggests that the subject had limited options for emotional growth at this time. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

A clear, cool natural stream. It flows briskly, but not violently, and you can see the rocks beneath quite clearly. They are smooth and rounded. The water looks very clean.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Fast-moving water indicates a strong, active sex drive. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex.

When you came to the water, you crossed it.

The subject is open to new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

An old clear Mason jar with no lid, wedged between some rocks. Dirty from disuse, but the dirt is easily washed off.

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 took the cup and filled it.

The subject is interested in marriage, and sex will be a significant part of that relationship.

This is how you described the key:

It's silver and shiny. It looks like a house key.

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). Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a career. An ordinary-looking key suggests that the subject desires a nondescript career.

You confronted the bear.

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

When you came to the wall, you tried to go around it.

The wall represents death: by trying to walk around it, the subject shows an acknowledgment of death, but also a need for an alternative to its finality, such as an afterlife or reincarnation.