Analysis for Anonymous, 7 November 1998

This is how you described the room:

Bright light comes through the window but casts no shadows. The room smells clean and fresh. The linens are crisp but soft, all white with white embroidery. The bedside table holds several tempting books and magazines as well as a graceful pitcher of cool water and matching glass. Across the wood floor, a cozy afghan has been draped over an inviting armchair carefully set near the fireplace.

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 depth of description tells us that the subject has strong memories of childhood.

You wanted to stay in the room.

The subject did not want to grow up.

This is how you described the forest:

Tall sequoias shade most of the forest floor, limiting the underbrush. Needles blanket the ground. Although individual tree trunks are still distinguishable a good distance in, I cannot see through the forest to the other side.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Very tall trees imply that the adults had a significant and substantial impact on the subject’s life. 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:

Entering the forest, the path is easily followed as the needles have been pushed aside and dirt shows through, but soon it seems to disappear. I am not worried about trying to follow a particular path, as they all seem to be equally interesting. It is wide enough to wander easily without brushing against underbrush.

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 wide path indicates that the subject had numerous 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 river runs slightly downhill from my right to the left, gurgling and splashing in and around partly exposed rocks and boulders. It is wide enough to cross by hopping from rock to rock in about a dozen jumps.

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.

When you came to the water, you crossed it.

The subject is open to new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

A tall straight-sided clear glass. It is cylindrical and of small diameter.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A container that is both decorative and practical indicates that the subject considers both romantic and pragmatic aspects of marriage.

You left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

The key is about three inches long and seems to be brass. It appears never to have been polished, but has a simple and clean design. I would guess it unlocks a traveling trunk or a small door.

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.