Analysis for Loretta Lint, 24 April 2001

This is how you described the room:

Several lumps lurking in the futon dig into my aching back. Dust bunnies waft across the bare painted wooden floor as a cat in search of warmth is trying to get under my covers. A poster that is difficult to make out in the dusk is peeling off the wall next to the gaping cupboard door. Clothes are spilling out.

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. Few, simple furnishings tells us that the subject has few memories of that time.

You wanted to stay in the room.

The subject did not want to grow up.

This is how you described the forest:

Oak trees - nothing but oak: this is the park established by a German nationalist a hundred years ago, as a "genuinely German" forest. Sheep graze the mottled grass between the mammoth 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. What is interesting is the uniformity of the trees, as if the subject felt that the adults had planned to present a united front.

This is how you described the path:

Several sheep trails wind around the trees, up and down the slopes. Walkers further compact the soil, though some deep groves in which one could break one's foot are found in the dried mud.

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. Lots of obstructions on the path indicate many problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

The miasma rising from the stinking cloaca would have been considered dangerous in past times. Now, the canalisation of the formerly comfortable stream is hailed as progress, although the only creatures left in the murky slime are floating on the surface. Up-river nuclear power stations ensure that the slime is always warm.

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. Murky, dirty, or otherwise unclear water suggests that the subject has significant 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:

A battered polyester cup with dried remains is littering the bank.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. That the container is refuse or damaged suggests a cynicism about the institution.

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:

It is simple metal key resembling the one used to cause a long-lost mechanical clown to jump, with a hollow hexagonal base and a scare top.

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). A special-purpose key suggests that the subject seeks a very specific kind of career. That the key is used for a mechanical clown may indicate that the subject has an interest in entertainment.

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.