Analysis for Anonymous, 28 May 2000

This is how you described the room:

The room is dark, though homely. It is cold in there, sometimes uncomfortable even though I would have hated the heat more than the cold. A simple bed against the wall, decorated in cool colors such as forest green and plum. floors are bare, heavy curtains cover the large windows.

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 comment “...I would have hated the heat more...” suggests that the subject took pleasure in misery. No furnishings at all tells of either a complete absence of memories from that time or active suppression of said memories.

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 very thick, but the sun manages to shine through the thick trees. The forest has a lot of flowers, as though it were spring, as well as many exotic plants.. more of a tropical rain forest.

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. A well-lit forest tells us that the subject had considerable freedom at this time.

This is how you described the path:

There is no path in this forest at all... the brush is thick, as though it involved having a knife or weapon of some sorts... This forest seems to go on forever, and it seems as if no man has been there before.

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. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. That plants are the major source of obstructions tells us that the subject’s problems arose mostly from interactions with adults.

This is how you described the water:

The water is a deep, raging river.... falling violently from a waterfall only a short distance away. Rapids crash over few rocks before meeting yet another, smaller waterfall. The water is strangely pure, crystal blue.

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:

The vessel is old, yet intact for the most part. It was more ancient, as though a carrier for the water. It is made of clay and carved strangely.

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 but left it empty.

The subject is interested in marriage, but sex won’t be a significant part of that relationship.

This is how you described the key:

The key is nothing modern, more exotic or tribal. It is colorful, carved with different pictures, animals. I'm unsure of what it opens, but was perhaps used in some tribal ritual long before I foud it.

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 tried to go around it.

The wall represents death: by trying to walk around it, the subject shows an acknowledgment of death, but also a need for an alternative to its finality, such as an afterlife or reincarnation.