Analysis for Ochressandro Rettinger, 14 June 2002

This is how you described the room:

The room is cold. It is full of computers. Flashing lights, blinking away the status of the systems they represent. There is a low hum and whine from the cooling fans of all of the machines, as well as the air conditioning unit. The room is decorated with lots of rusty metal hanging on the wall, as well as old motherboards and other bits of outdated technology. The wall hangings strike a sharp contrast to the shiny new polished machines humming away in the dark room. There are many brass era automobile parts in one corner. Old, tarnished, but well sorted into piles recognizable as entire automobiles, yet completely disassembled. Several of these vehicles have strange powerplants, external combustion steam engines, stirling cycle engines, and other old motive power sources.

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 significant detail in the description of the room tells us that the subject has rich, lasting 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 is full of old old trees. They are very large, and covered in moss. The forest is very wet. It is dark, but there are rays of sunshine poking through the branches and illuminating the forest with a soft green light. The trees are very close together, but given their scale, it is still easy to walk between them. If there were no path, it would still be easy to navigate the forest, as long as one could keep track of direction.

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

This is how you described the path:

The path is well worn, and packed deep into the ground. It is wide enough for a motorcycle, but not for an automobile. There is a bit of grass growing on the sides of the path. It does not appear that the trees have been changed to make room for the path, it was simply laid down between the widest spaces available. The Trees do not notice the path, for it flows between them like water past rocks.

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 wide path indicates that the subject had numerous options for emotional growth at this time. Note that the subject takes great pains to anthropomorphize the trees: since the trees represent the adults, and the path is adolescence, the obvious conclusion is that the subject felt completely ignored by parents during this time.

This is how you described the water:

A stream flows through the forest, much like the path. It is wide, with trees lining either side. It is evident that the trees have been holding the shore in place against the erosion of the water. The roots of the trees nearest the shore are exposed on the edge of the water. There are a few trees which have fallen, but they do not appear to do so often. The stream is a natural one, and it is full of water. There are pools where the water is very deep and calm, and there are places where the water is shallower, and moves much quicker. The bottom of the stream is filled with rocks and pebbles and sand. The water is very clear.

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 heavy ceramic mug, with a stainless steel lid. There is a lot of celtic knotwork in bas relief on the sides of the mug. It's very tall, along the lines of a german beer stein, about a foot tall, and 6 inches in diameter at the bottom, tapering towards the top, which is about 5 inches in diameter.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A container that is both decorative and practical indicates that the subject considers both romantic and pragmatic aspects of marriage.

You took the cup and filled it.

The subject is interested in marriage, and sex will be a significant part of that relationship.

This is how you described the key:

It's a double cut key, with not only pins on the cylinder, but pins on the wards. It is the key to a lock which would be extremely difficult to pick. It's the sort of lock which is used to shut important doors against bad people. It looks like the key to my friend's house in an extremely bad part of the city. I think it unlocks 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. It is tempting to interpret the security of the lock as a desire for a career in public safety. 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.