Analysis for andrea hinkle, 13 February 1999

This is how you described the room:

The room is very warm and dark, with patches of sunlight filtering in on the floor from the single, small, barred, overhead window. The floors are covered in a thick, dark green carpeting. Shag. The walls are gray, and round. The room has no corners. The walls funnel into a small wooden door with ornate carvings. They look like Japanese writing... Kanji, i believe. The same writing is on the walls in a darker shade of gray. They glow.

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.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

The forest is thick, and damp. Very little sunlight filters through the ample foliage. The trees are gnarled with age. Surprisingly, there are no insects.

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. A very dark forest tells us that the subject felt considerably oppressed by the attentions of the adults.

This is how you described the path:

The path is very narrow, and barely visible. You wouldn't have noticed it if it didn't have a pale blue glow. It's warm to the touch. It has many twists and turns.

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. A few, scattered obstructions indicate the occasional problem in adolescence, but nothing consistent nor insurmountable. Still, the subject has some fondness for this time, as an unexplained magic has been attributed to the path.

This is how you described the water:

It's a natural stream, and the water is very cold and clear. You can see round, smooth stones on it's bottom. It flows very swiftly, with many ripples. There is steam from where the cold water meets the warm path.

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 went around it.

The subject is not interested in new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

It's a small wooden cup. The edges are very smooth with age, and the wood has a nice, aromatic scent. There are no handles... it's just a small, simple bowl shape. It has a very pleasant weight to it.

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 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:

The key is small, rusted, and made of steel. It looks like it unlocks a shed or storage area of some sort. It is very light and brittle. I hope it doesn't break.

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. The fragility of the key could be interpreted as a desire for a career that appears to be stressful and precarious.

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.