Analysis for Anonymous, 18 December 1998

This is how you described the room:

The room is nearly bare. A simple canvas and wood cot lies propped against one wall, several old, moth-eaten couch cushions have been tossed on the cold wooden floor. There is an unpretentious brick fireplace in one side, but no fire is burning. In fact, it looks like a fire hasn't been lit in a very long time. There is a picture, framed in rosewood, of a cabbage on the wall opposite the fireplace. There are no windows in the room.

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. Few, simple furnishings tells us that the subject has few memories of that time. How the subject feels about the room is not described.

You wanted to stay in the room.

The subject did not want to grow up.

This is how you described the forest:

The "forest," if you can call it that, has but a few dead trees, stunted and barren, with a single immense redwood growing up in the middle, unnaturally drawing sustenance from the dry, rocky ground and stunted vegetation.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Stunted, damaged, or absent trees imply a dearth of adult interaction with the subject. Note that a single tree is thriving while others die. This may be interpreted as one powerful personality that completely dominated all the other adults, rendering them weak and ineffective.

This is how you described the path:

The "trail" is nothing more than a dirt path, thin and difficult to see, with occasional animal droppings along its length. The path twists and winds with no apparent purpose, doubling back on itself, changing in size, for a near-eternity. The dirt is covered with sharp stones and either rat or weasel droppings.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. A few, scattered obstructions indicate the occasional problem in adolescence, but nothing consistent nor insurmountable. 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.

This is how you described the water:

Oddly, the path crashes to a halt against a huge lake, so deep that you cannot see the bottom. The ground around it is lush and covered with many beautiful types of plant life. Where the path ends, there is a canopy of mimosa tree branches overhead. The water is pure and clean, and very cold. Out over the lake, it reflects the clear azure sky, deepening in hue towards the middle.

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:

The vessel is a tremendous drinking horn of the type Thor used in drinking competitions with the giants. It is made of the horn of some immense beast, most likely of god-like proportions, and decorated with intricate carvings, scenes of battle. The entire thing gives the impression of cyclopean size and ageless immutability.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A decorative container indicates that the subject views marriage as a romantic adventure.

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:

The key is as big around as my wrist, and it is chiseled and polished from a huge block of solid onyx. It is as black as fear, and carved with reliefs of strange alien creatures of ethereal beauty. The key must unlock a vault of solid iron, containing relics from aeons-old civilizations. Now if I could only carry the key to the vault (the key must weigh about 90 lbs.)...

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). Decorative keys suggest that the subject wants an attention-grabbing, one-of-a-kind career. Magical or fantastic keys suggest that the subject has unreasonably high expectations of what will result from a career.

You avoided the bear.

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

See another test from 1998