Analysis for Levi Gunderson, 18 May 1999

This is how you described the room:

The room is small, and all the walls are lined with bookshelves. The shelves are filled with old books most of which haven't been read for a long time. The room is neither warm nor cold.

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 thick and dark. The trees are pine trees and aspens. There are many leaves and needles on the ground. It is autumn.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Tall trees imply that the adults had a strong influence on the subject. 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 straight and well-traveled. It does not deviate much to the right or the left, up or down. It moves on a level plane through the trees.

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. The strong evidence of fellow travelers tells us that the subject received a lot of support from friends and family during that potentially troubling time. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

The path ends at a waterfall. The water falls from the left almost straight down. The waterfall is steep. The water is cold. Mist rises from the bottom and the bottom of the falls is not visible.

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 wooden ladle. It is to be dipped in the water. Strangely, the only water accessible is the rushing waterfall. It would be difficult to get water using the ladle without losing the ladle.

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. Note how fearful the subject is about losing the ladle to the water.

You left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

The key is old. It is shaped like an old skeleton key. I have no idea whatsoever what it unlocks.

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.

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.