Analysis for Mr Badger, 8 May 2000

This is how you described the room:

I am seated on a soft earthtone couch that was purchased some years ago by my girlfriend, who thought it would go quite nicely with the hunter's green walls. Opposite me is the bookshelf, but since it's so warm I feel too lethargic to stand up and pick one out. Thus, I can only remain slouched on the couch, glass of beer in hand, my bare feet on the blue wall-to-wall carpet that's in need of cleaning. Nailed to wall are decorative objects, mementoes of place I've been, ranging from Tahitian masks to Peruvian tapestries. Damn it's warm. I have another sip of beer and think, I'm not getting up just yet.

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. The subject may have been smothered by affection to the point of being paralyzed. The significant detail in the description of the room tells us that the subject has rich, lasting 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:

Between the wide trunks of oaks are stunted saplings growing out of a thick miniature forest of ferns. Shafts of light penetrate the thick canopy of leaves overhead.

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. The saplings represent adults whose influence was insignificant. Average lighting tells us that the subject received enough attention from the adults to be guided but not oppressed.

This is how you described the path:

There is no path as such. There are signs that someone -- or something -- has gone this way recently, but if I decide not to follow the trail of trampled ferns and moss, I have no path to follow.

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.

This is how you described the water:

I follow the trail of trampled vegetation, and after struggling through a thick growth of armpit-high grass and sisal plants with thick, serrated leaves, I find myself on the bank of a wide river the color of mud. The far bank must be a hundred yards away. A black and white shape floats downstream in the sedate current. It takes me a moment to identify it. It's a dead cow.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Slow, gently moving water suggests a passive, restrained, calm sex drive. Murky, dirty, or otherwise unclear water suggests that the subject has significant issues regarding sex. The cow carcass, a disturbing image at best, would require a more detailed interview to isolate and identify.

When you came to the water, you crossed it.

The subject is open to new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

It's a wooden cup, crudely carved in the shape of a monkey's skull.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A container that is both decorative and practical indicates that the subject considers both romantic and pragmatic aspects of marriage.

You left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

The key is tiny, the size of my thumbnail. It looks exactly like the key my sister used to lock her diary. It's a toy key, too small and delicate to have any practical use.

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). Keys to diaries, hope chests, or other highly personal items suggest that the subject wants a career that will solve other people’s problems. Decorative keys suggest that the subject wants an attention-grabbing, one-of-a-kind 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.