Analysis for Anonymous, 8 February 2004

This is how you described the room:

Cold white bare room. Chair, table, window with sun shining in.

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. No furnishings at all tells of either a complete absence of memories from that time or active suppression of said memories.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

Tall trees. Dark. Not many leaves. Cold.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Tall trees imply that the adults had a strong influence on the subject. 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:

Abandoned path, barely visible, lots of obstructions in terms of bushes.

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. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. Lots of obstructions on the path indicate many problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

Lake. Clear and cold. Refreshing.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Stagnant or still water suggests a sex drive that is absent or pathologically inactive, not by choice of the subject. 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:

Clay, ceramic, earthernware, pottery pitcher. Blue and gray glaze. Worn. Old. Clean.

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:

Dirty, old, rusty, tarnished. Chest.

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 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.