Analysis for Eric, 8 February 2004

This is how you described the room:

The room is small. It has dressers and chairs oddly circled around me. The room is very cold. There are pictures of peoplecrying posted around the room.

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:

The forest seems big and cold. There are apple and maple trees all around. It is completly dark in the forest. The only things i can see are the trees.

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. 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:

The path has rocks and leaves on it. It is very narrow. Its seems to be abandoned. It is harly visable.

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. Lots of obstructions on the path indicate many problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

The water is very dirty. The water looks like it goes miles down into the ground.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Murky, dirty, or otherwise unclear water suggests that the subject has significant 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:

The cup is very large. It looks like it could hold gallons of water or alchol.

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:

The key is very large. I think the key opens a very large door.

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 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.