Analysis for Phil Tatro, 3 January 2003

This is how you described the room:

The room is warm with an occasional blast of cooler air. There is a blue futon in the center of the room, supported by maple wood painted ivory. The futon is ragged around the edges and it looks like someone has slept on it every night for the last 20 years. It is in the "sleeping" position. There is a plaid flannel blanket thrown lazily on top of the futon and a square, green pillow, large enough for one head. A table, also made of maple wood, also painted ivory, holds a small television. Windows look down on a crowded city street. The room is painted white and the ceiling is yellow with little bits of paint flaking off.

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 comfortable room suggests a childhood that was pleasant. 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 trees are tall, thick, and ominous. From this angle, they are a rich chestnut brown with soaring evergreen branches, but I can see that the trail into the forest gets darker and darker until it is eventually pitch black.

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 very dark forest tells us that the subject felt considerably oppressed by the attentions of the adults.

This is how you described the path:

The path is clearly marked and paved at first with gold. After about 2 miles, it is replaced with cement painted the color of gold. You can barely tell the difference. Another half a mile, and things have gotten darker. The cement is now just gravel spray painted a goldish hue. It turns to a golden dirt path, then just dirt, until finally I can see no more.

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. Note that the path fades as time progresses. Also note that the quality of the path degrades with time, as if the subject had a carefully managed early childhood but the adults lost interest in later years.

This is how you described the water:

The water is scary, thick, and black. It is a river rapidly running through the forest. If you dip your finger into the water, it is icy, and has the consistency of blood. I am naturally afraid of this water, for I can not see it.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Rushing, violent water indicates a powerful, vigorous, and quite possibly compulsive sex drive. Murky, dirty, or otherwise unclear water suggests that the subject has significant 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 almost miss the flask, for it is small and impossible to see in the darkness. I do a klutzy looking trip, but I am not concerned for no one can see me. I feel around on the ground for the offending object, and find a rusty, dented flask, the kind one holds liquor in at one's side. It smells of a strong vodka.

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:

I only notice the key because it is glowing slightly. The color it gives off is a strange pink. The key is warm but not hot and I feel better carrying it. It is very small and it looks like it might open a diary or a jewelry box of a little girl.

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). Keys to diaries, hope chests, or other highly personal items suggest that the subject wants a career that will solve other people’s problems. Decorative keys suggest that the subject wants an attention-grabbing, one-of-a-kind career.

You avoided the bear.

In a crisis, the subject prefers the indirect, non-confrontational 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.