Analysis for Anonymous, 5 September 2000

This is how you described the room:

the room is a dull gray, it is very old, the temperature is warm but the room seems cold in personality, it is dark, the curtains are drawn, the furnishings are old, there very old pictures on the walls, everything in the room seems very old and cobwebs in it

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. A very uncomfortable room suggests a highly traumatic childhood. 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:

the forest is scary, it is thick, dense, the trees are tall and ominous towering over, it is dark

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. A very dark forest tells us that the subject felt considerably oppressed by the attentions of the adults.

This is how you described the path:

there is no path

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.

This is how you described the water:

it is a natural stream, the water is clean and clear and bubbling, and cold

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 is an old canteen, metal, dull, grey

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 is an old skeleton key, gold, but dirty not shiny, it must unlock a door

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. Old-fashioned keys suggest that the subject desires a traditional 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.