Analysis for Teddy Novak, 15 March 1999

This is how you described the room:

The room is warm. The furnishings are comfortable. I have something to read and I don't have to be anywhere.

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. There was very little pressure to grow up (“don’t have to be anywhere”).

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 well-lit. There is a path that leads away in one direction only. I cannot see where it is headed.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. A well-lit forest tells us that the subject had considerable freedom at this time.

This is how you described the path:

The path seems well-travelled, but there are no other people. It cannot be followed for any great distance.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. Poor visibility of the path tells us the subject was often confused by the changes brought on by adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

The path ends at a small stream. The stream is not wide enough to step or jump across. However, it seems to be shallow enough to walk through. It looks like normal water in there.

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. The movement of the water suggests a normal, average if somewhat playful 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:

There is a dark green bottle which sticks out of the ground.

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:

The key is old-fashioned and quite large. It could open a large wooden door or, in my darker moments, I might imagine it opens a crypt.

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). Old-fashioned keys suggest that the subject desires a traditional career. Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a 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.

See another test from 1999