Analysis for Richard, 3 December 2002

This is how you described the room:

It's warm. It's a hotel room. It's got two beds, with two nightstands, and a bathroom. It has a TV and counter.

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 leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

It's bright, past noon. Pine trees with furs and redwoods and cedars. Looking into the forest is quite dark and mysterious, but inviting and welcoming.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Very tall trees imply that the adults had a significant and substantial impact on the subject’s life. It’s difficult to determine the level of light from this description; the subject vacillates between “bright” and “inviting” to “dark” and “mysterious.”

This is how you described the path:

Well-beaten dirt path, rather narrow, seemingly rarely-travelled. Nothing really growing in it.

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 lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

A high waterfall, on moss-covered rocks, falling into a pool and gliding over a set of large rocks down to the left of me. The pool is small and relatively deep. The water is clean.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Fast-moving water indicates a strong, active sex drive. 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:

A darkened clear bottle, cylindrical, 8-10 in. tall, with a blue lid and plastic fixture holding the lid to the bottle. Unscrewing the lid reveals a wide mouth 2.4 in wide, and the bottle itself is about 3 in. wide, with measurements on the side.

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. Note the exacting measurements of the bottle, as if the subject wants a marriage “just so.”

You left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

Old-fashioned key, that has an elegant top. In oddly good condition, silver, seems to fit a simple lock.

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 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.