Analysis for M, 10 January 2003

This is how you described the room:

the room is cold and dark, with bare floorboards and dull wallpaper with vertical stripes. a rough, dark wooden table stands against one wall, and a dirty plate with a few crumbs of food on the table. there is an iron fireplace with cold ashes in the grate. the windows are closed but a slight breeze is blowing through gaps and making the tattered curtains billow slightly. it smells like it might be raining a little outside.

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. A very uncomfortable room suggests a highly traumatic childhood. The items in the room are average, which tells us that the subject has the normal memories of childhood.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

at first the trees are tall and bright, limbs swaying and leaves rustling with the wind. as i progress into the forest, they become smaller and more stark, with tangled branches, bare of leaves. they no longer dance with the wind, but seem to hunch down as if to avoid the worst of the cold breeze. i can't hear the rustling of leaves any more, only a dry rasping sound of wood on wood.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Stunted, damaged, or absent trees imply a dearth of adult interaction with the subject. Note that the trees started out tall and strong, suggesting that the adults influenced the subject early on but quickly lost the ability to make a difference. A semi-dark forest tells us that the subject felt somewhat oppressed by the attention the adults gave.

This is how you described the path:

at first the path was wide and grassy, clearly visible and well-trodden. deeper into the woods, banks rose on either side, and occasional trails led off from the main path. it became narrower and more overgrown, much harder to follow.

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 wide path indicates that the subject had numerous 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. Note that the trail degrades as it progresses, suggesting that the later years of the subject’s life were not easy.

This is how you described the water:

there is a narrow rocky stream, the water clear and icy cold as it rushes over the stones. it makes a cheerful sound.

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:

a plain handle-less earthenware cup, reddish in color with no markings.

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:

a yale door key, unremarkable in any way. it's probably a key to someone's front door, but I'm not really interested in who or where.

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. Note the disinterest in finding out the details of the key, suggesting a rather lackadaisical approach to work. An ordinary-looking key suggests that the subject desires a nondescript career.

You confronted the bear.

In a crisis, the subject prefers the direct, no-nonsense 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.