Analysis for Shakes, 6 June 2000

This is how you described the room:

It's warm, big old bed. Small room. Not my house, not somewhere I feel comfortable sleeping. There's an old heat radiator on the wall, big, low windows, a closet, and a bureau that is full of someone else's clothes. Smells a little funny.

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 items in the room are average, which tells us that the subject has the normal memories of childhood.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

There's a lot of trees but they are widely spaced. A lot of dead leaves and undergrowth. Mostly pine trees but some bigger oak trees.

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. 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:

It's not hard to follow the path, although there are a lot of leaves on it. It's muddy in some places.

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. 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:

It's a small creek, slow running. Easily leapable. The kind of creek you want to squat next to and fuck around in with a stick.

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. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex.

Unfortunate choice of words there…

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 an empty bottle, no label. Clear glass, smudged with dirt.

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 left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

It's a big gold key. It's on a gold chain. I would guess it unlocks a big door somewhere.

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). Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a career. Decorative keys suggest that the subject wants an attention-grabbing, one-of-a-kind 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.