Analysis for C., 7 January 2003

This is how you described the room:

The room is warm. It has polished oak floors, with colorful throw rugs around the floor. There is a large fireplace with many photographs on the mantle. The seating is large overstuffed couches, with warm chenille blankets for snuggling in. There are many windows which make the room bright, and colorful paintings and pictures on the wall. The walls themselves are white.

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 forest is dark. The forest floor is mostly brush which scratches me as I try to pass. The trees are tall, and soar above my head.

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. 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 turns, and it is very narrow. At times it is rocky, but for the most part it is clear.

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. A few, scattered obstructions indicate the occasional problem in adolescence, but nothing consistent nor insurmountable.

This is how you described the water:

The water is a river, which leads to a waterfall. The waterfall is quite large, and the water rushes over it quickly. Its temperature is like ice.

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. 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 cup is small, and made of tin. It resembles a mug, with a handle 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.

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:

The key is an antique key, with a long slender body, and a couple of teeth on the end. The head of the key is made of three circles in a V pattern.

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). 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 jumped over it.

The wall represents death: by jumping over it, the subject not only acknowledges death but has come to accept its finality.