Analysis for Charles, 10 May 2002

This is how you described the room:

The room is cool like early mornings tend to be cool. It contains only a bed, a closet and a dresser for clothes--no mirror or television. There is a lamp on the dresser and a two identical black boxes.

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. 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:

The forest contains a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees. Moss grows on the rocks, and the floor is heavily matted with leaves. It's intermittently bright--it is a sunny day, but the forest is thick enough to blot out much of the light.

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. That the forest is very bright tells us that the subject had extensive freedom while growing up.

This is how you described the path:

The path is well-traveled but rather narrow. People have been walking this trail for a good long time, but not many at a time.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. A narrow path suggests that the subject had limited options for emotional growth at this time. 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. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

The path ends at a small river/large creek. It is running steadily but not rapidly. It is pretty but not terribly wide or deep; a grown man could cross it on foot without being swept away.

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:

The vessel is an old canvas canteen. It is somewhat weathered, but it hasn't rotted through...it's probably been there a few years.

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:

The key is the color of copper. It's quite small, as if it unlocks a suitcase/piece of luggage. The end of the key is rounded and larger than it needs to be.

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). The luggage could represent a vague purpose (what is in the luggage?) or it could be more direct and represent the subject’s wanderlust. 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 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.