Analysis for kris, 11 June 2000

This is how you described the room:

it is a cold room with lots of comfy chairs and pillows. there are lots of pictures on the 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 room is neither comfortable nor uncomfortable; this suggests the subject had a bland, uninspiring childhood. (The room being cold and the chairs being comfy is a conflict of images that makes analysis difficult.) The depth of description tells us that the subject has strong 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:

it is thick with trees and there are lots of willow and apple trees. it is bright outside, but not much sun gets through the leaves.

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 semi-dark forest tells us that the subject felt somewhat oppressed by the attention the adults gave.

This is how you described the path:

it's a travelled path, but full of turns and plants.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. 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. A few, scattered obstructions indicate the occasional problem in adolescence, but nothing consistent nor insurmountable.

This is how you described the water:

it's a creek full of stones. the water is clear and cold. it's natural.

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's a blue bottle made of glass.

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 silver key that looks like a key to a house.

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. An ordinary-looking key suggests that the subject desires a nondescript 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.