Analysis for Robo the Dog Faced Boy, 18 December 1998

This is how you described the room:

The room is warm and very quiet. It is partly underground, like a basement room would be. It is much longer in one dimension than it is wide. I am in a big brass bed; there is a radiator next to it, the source of much of the warmth. Along the other wall there is an old desk, with a manual typewriter and an electric clock, and a blotter. There is one large chair with chrome arms and legs, and a rust colored chenille fabric seat.

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 room is neither comfortable nor uncomfortable; this suggests the subject had a bland, uninspiring childhood. The items in the room are average, which tells us that the subject has the normal 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:

The forest is very bright and very green, many active animals and birds are making noises and busy with their day. The trees are leafy with new growth, so it is spring. Mostly they are aspen trees.

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. That the forest is very bright tells us that the subject had extensive freedom while growing up.

This is how you described the path:

The path is steep and narrow, but not dangerous. It is overgrown in spots, but easy to find. It is well traveled but no one is on it at present.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. The visibility of the path tells us that the subject had a good idea of what to expect from 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. A few, scattered obstructions indicate the occasional problem in adolescence, but nothing consistent nor insurmountable.

This is how you described the water:

The water is natural, and very fast. It is a waterfall in fact, not very high, but in a narrow cataract so I can't see past it. It is very pure and very cold, but absolutely pure and fresh.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Rushing, violent water indicates a powerful, vigorous, and quite possibly compulsive sex drive. 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:

It is a camping cup, clear lexan plastic, very clean and new, no scratches.

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 is a small brass antique key, with a tiny hollow barrel and a decorative filigree on top. It unlocks a cabinet built by my grandfather over a century ago, when he was a young man.

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). The “unlocking a cabinet” purpose is interesting, as the subject gives details about the cabinet itself rather than its contents. The subject wants the career to fulfill a need, but is unsure which needs will be ultimately sated. At the risk of reading too much into the text, the “grandfather” hook could imply a desire to maintain family traditions. Old-fashioned keys suggest that the subject desires a traditional career.

You confronted the bear.

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