Analysis for Rina Wakefield, 10 January 2003

This is how you described the room:

The room is cool, but not cold, something like the frozen food section at the supermarket with the cupboards closed. The walls and floors are made of an odd material that feels like marble but has no marbled pattern. Old-fashioned tables made of glass and black wire are placed against the walls, and there are many exits.

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 subject emphasizes the available exits. The depth of description tells us that the subject has strong memories of childhood.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

It is a bright forest of widely spaced deciduous trees, leafless in the winter and draped with snow.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Average-sized trees imply the normal influence adults have on a child: neither insignificant nor impressive. That the forest is very bright tells us that the subject had extensive freedom while growing up.

This is how you described the path:

The path is poorly marked, indicated not by footprints or a well-worn trail but rather by random signs hung from the trees noticeable only to those with some woodcraft. The trail itself is easily navigated, level and smooth, if one discounts the danger of losing track of it and wandering off into the woods.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. Poor visibility of the path tells us the subject was often confused by the changes brought on by 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:

There is a slow, babbling brook, partially frozen but still flowing, obviously a tributary of a larger river or stream. The water is ice-cold, but perfectly 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). Slow, gently moving water suggests a passive, restrained, calm 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:

A careless fool has discarded an old McDonald's cup here; it has been preserved from the elements only by chance, blown into the lee of a hollow tree. Even so, it must have been left here fairly recently, as it is only half-covered in snow.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. That the container is refuse or damaged suggests a cynicism about the institution.

You left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

It's an old-style clock key, short and stubby, and I wouldn't have noticed it if its brass finish didn't stand out against the snow. Clearly, it was left here not long ago. Most likely, it unlocks nothing, but can serve to wind up someone's cuckoo clock.

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). Note that this key does not provide access to something else; rather, it enables action. This may indicate that the subject desires a career that will provide a means to some other (unspecified) end. 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.