Analysis for Patricia Biesen, 10 January 2003

This is how you described the room:

The walls are yellow with big windows, white sheer curtains are blowing in the room. The ceiling is high. The room is filled with tall, lush tropical plants. There is sparse furniture, a desk, a brightly colored, striped chaise. I see silver fixtures, it is quite modern. Black and white photography hangs on the walls.

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:

It is bright with sunlight beaming towards the right. It is tropical, mostly green with some orange and pink flowers. It is quite lush. The ground is brown and sandy.

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 barely visible but the sunlight is guiding it. There is so much growth here it is hard to see. So many green, rubbery plants getting in the way. The long I am on it the more I see it and the wider it becomes.

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 plants are the major source of obstructions tells us that the subject’s problems arose mostly from interactions with adults.

This is how you described the water:

I come across a sandy beach. The water is very blue. The sky is in shades of indigo, purple and light blue. The orange sun is off in the distance. The water is an ocean but has the gentlest waves, just riding gently up shore, delicately covering the rocks and shells underneath.

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 went around it.

The subject is not interested in new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

I find a green canteen. Long neck, medium size bottle with a belt or sash attached making it easy to carry with me.

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 but left it empty.

The subject is interested in marriage, but sex won’t be a significant part of that relationship.

This is how you described the key:

The key is gold and old-fashioned, quite ornate and fancy. About a foot long and easily fits in its designated space. It has an ornate metal handle, circular patterns, very decorative.

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). Decorative keys suggest that the subject wants an attention-grabbing, one-of-a-kind career.

You confronted the bear.

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