Analysis for Trisha, 21 May 2000

This is how you described the room:

As I look around the room I realize that while it seems familiar to me I do not remember ever actually being here. It is a bright sunny room with wallpapered walls and white frilly curtains. The wallpaper is white with purple flowers and the carpeting is purple as well. There is a stereo in the corner on a stand, a desk with a large mirror on top along the far wall and a bookcase with numerous books on the opposite wall.

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. The depth of description tells us that the subject has strong memories of childhood.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

The forest is bright and sunshiny. The trees are in full bloom and beautiful, some of them are flowering dogwoods. It is a warm day but the forest is cool and comfortable.

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. That the forest is very bright tells us that the subject had extensive freedom while growing up.

This is how you described the path:

The path is wide, wide enough for two people to walk abreast and it is a dirt path but clean and dry, not muddy. It looks to be well-travelled because there are not sprouts of grass growing on it. It leads up a somewhat steep hill.

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. A wide path indicates that the subject had numerous options for emotional growth at this time. 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:

It is a natural creek, bubbling along briskly. It is crystal clear and there are several rocks upon which to step to cross to the other side of the creek. The water is cool and refreshing and tastes delicious.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). The movement of the water suggests a normal, average if somewhat playful sex drive. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex.

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 looks to be a pouch of some sort. It reminds me of the colonial days when people would carry an animal skin of water with them. It has a strap on it and a spout. It is brown and soft.

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:

It is a silver key that glows with a magical blue light. It tingles in my grasp which leaves me to believe that it has been waiting for me to find it. I believe that it opens a magical box somewhere that has scrolls inside with wondrous spells written on them. I have been searching for these scrolls to continue my quest and find my way home.

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