Analysis for Omda, 20 August 1998

This is how you described the room:

The walls are slightly stained, and I'm suspended four feet off the floor by a net that stretches from wall to wall. I can't reach the floor from here. There are no exits. I'm not uncomfortable, but obviously I'm not particularly pleased.

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. No furnishings at all tells of either a complete absence of memories from that time or active suppression of said memories. At the risk of over-analysis, the net preventing access to the floor could be viewed as an intentional mental block. The lack of exits could be viewed as a belief that the subject would never grow up.

You wanted to stay in the room.

The subject did not want to grow up.

This is how you described the forest:

Thin, short trees are sparsely scattered across low-lying hills. It's early morning, but the overcast sky makes it impossible to see the sun. I start walking towards the forest and the trees are hidden by the fog until I almost run into them.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Small trees imply that the adults had a weak influence on the subject. Average lighting tells us that the subject received enough attention from the adults to be guided but not oppressed. Again at the risk of over-analysis, the fog could be viewed as a difficulty in determining a parent or guardian, perhaps indicative of some family schism.

This is how you described the path:

I pick an arbitrary direction and start to walk. I try not to deviate from the path I have chosen, but the trees continually force me to make minor deviations.

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. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. That plants are the major source of obstructions tells us that the subject’s problems arose mostly from interactions with adults.

This is how you described the water:

The wall of water rises up, out of sight into the fog. The water is clear and the landscape on the other side does not seem to be different from the forest I've been walking through. I reach out to touch it. It is icy-cold and my hand seems to disappear as I reach through.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Most subjects tend to describe traditional bodies of water—lakes, rivers, even oceans. Here we have a fantastic form—a free-standing wall of water; thus, movement is hard to determine. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex.

When you came to the water, you went around it.

The subject is not interested in new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

A moldy bucket lies in a shallow sand pit several yards from the wall of water. I kick it, and blurs of sharp blackness scurry away in all directions. I look for a way to pick up the bucket without touching the thin coating of translucent yellow slime.

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. The disturbing nature of this bucket is probably best left unexplored.

You took the cup but left it empty.

The subject is interested in marriage, but sex won’t be a significant part of that relationship.

This is how you described the key:

I turn the key in my hands several times, trying to make out the markings. I suddenly realize that I'm holding my car keys, and slow sense of dread fills me as my grip on reality comes back to me. None of this could be real, I realize. Things like this simply do not happen. I need to find my car and get the hell out of here.

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 avoided the bear.

In a crisis, the subject prefers the indirect, non-confrontational approach.

When you came to the wall, you jumped over it.

The wall represents death: by jumping over it, the subject not only acknowledges death but has come to accept its finality.