Analysis for Marnen Laibow-Koser, 20 May 1999

This is how you described the room:

It is beige...I think the ceiling should be beige. There is a sofa here, with blue upholstery, oddly like the one in my student apartment in college. There's a floor lamp here too.

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. Few, simple furnishings tells us that the subject has few memories of that time.

You wanted to stay in the room.

The subject did not want to grow up.

This is how you described the forest:

It's dark, with pine trees.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. A very dark forest tells us that the subject felt considerably oppressed by the attentions of the adults. Tall trees imply that the adults had a strong influence on the subject.

This is how you described the path:

Relatively narrow, but easily followed and clearly visible.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence. 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.

This is how you described the water:

It's a natural, clear lake. It's big enough that the other side isn't visible...so maybe it's the sea.

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 went around it.

The subject is not interested in new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

It's a largish chalice, made out of some sort of attractive dark red clay with a clear glaze.

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 large, old-fashioned, and made out of brass. I think it unlocks a large door, embedded in a tree.

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. Magical or fantastic keys suggest that the subject has unreasonably high expectations of what will result from 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