Analysis for Anonymous, 8 January 2003

This is how you described the room:

The room is made of unfinished timbers that are not sanded down, but have a sweet, honey color. The floor is the same and seems very cold as there are cracks between the floor boards. No decorations adorn the walls and the furnishings, save the bed I'm on, are sparse and do not look comfortable. The bed is made of the same timbers lining the walls, but has a mattress of feathers in a cotton bag sunken into it's middle. It is very comfortable.

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. An uncomfortable room suggests a childhood that was devoid of happiness. Note that the bed is an island of comfort in this otherwise hellish environment. This could suggest that there was the occasional “safe haven” for the subject outside of a difficult home life. 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:

The trees are tall redwoods with warm browns and maroons at their base and bright green needles at their top. The grow randomly with a lot of space between them so sunlight is able to filter through to the forest floor.

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 well-lit forest tells us that the subject had considerable freedom at this time.

This is how you described the path:

The path is worn away and seems to have been traveled many times. Barely wide enough for single-file hiking, it winds it's way through the trees wherever the forest floor is clear.

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

This is how you described the water:

The stream is very small and on each side where the path meets it, it has two natural bridges of rushes that seem to bow down to it. The water is crystal clear, but ice cold and trickles slowly over the rocks lining the bottom of the stream.

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:

Someone has left a camelback on the other side of the stream with the nozzle swaying back and forth in the moving water. It's a bit muddy and worn from use, but still seems to be in fairly good condition.

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:

The key is very old and in the style of the old skeleton keys that come with ancient, Victorian homes. It is covered with mud and dried grass and leaves a perfect impression in the ground as it's lifted from it's resting place. It has obviously been there for a long time.

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 jumped over it.

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