Analysis for Jeanetta Webb, 7 June 2002

This is how you described the room:

It's a room with windows all around three sides of it. Sunlight is pouring in and it is cozy warm. It has a large bed with tall posters and everything on the bed is soft and plush. Against the wall with no windows is a stone fireplace with a fire burning brightly in it. The furnishings are cherry wood, with colors of yellow and soft blue scattered throughout the room.

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. Note the extremely inviting surroundings of the room. This suggests a childhood filled with joy. 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:

The forest has trees of tall pines. The floor of the forest is lush with pine needles and moss. It's a thick forest, but not so thick that you can't tell where you are going. Sunlight filters through and down through the trees. I'm walking beside a clear sparkling spring that is gurgling over rocks.

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:

The path is narrow, but easily navigated. It is well traveled and twist and turns beside the clear spring that runs beside it. Birds are singing and ever down and then a bunny rabbit or squirrel will appear.

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. 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 the edge of a cliff. It is not a high cliff. Not too far down is the ocean. The small spring tumbles into the ocean. The breakers are dashing against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. There are steps that lead down to the ocean

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Normally, creeks and brooks (as the water is described in the previous sections) represent average sex drives; here, the water’s nature changes abruptly. We could view this as an indication of the changing nature of the subject’s sex drive on the approach to adulthood: increasing in strength from playful to passionate as the subject grew older. Note also that the ultimate form of the water is an ocean which, paradoxically, represents a more subdued sex drive than a waterfall. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex.

When you came to the water, you went around it.

The subject is not interested in new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

I didn't cross over the ocean, but there was a small bridge that crossed over the spring. I continued on the path that was on the other side of the spring. I finally came to a small grotto. The water from the spring was bubbling up through a pipe into a small basin in the grotto. There was a silver chalice sitting beside the basin that would hold exactly 16 oz. of water.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A decorative container indicates that the subject views marriage as a romantic adventure. The precision of the vessel is much more interesting: it could indicate that the subject prefers a marriage to be “just so,” exacting and uncompromising.

You left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

The key is of a bronze color about 6" long. It is attached to a thick bronze key chain. That has the word "garden gate" attached to it. It unlocks the gate to the garden that surrounds the back of my home.

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 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.

The subject did not like the three options given, and came up with her own: to use the key to unlock a gate in the wall. Sorry, but few career options give us the chance to overcome death!