Analysis for Anonymous, 30 March 2004

This is how you described the room:

The room is damp, yet very warm. There is just a single dining room chair sitting by the door. There is also a single painting leaned up against the wall.

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. Few, simple furnishings tells us that the subject has few memories of that time.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

I see a crowded forest of pine trees, ferns, big oak, and maple trees.....it's bright at the beginning of the woods, but you can tell it get very dark back into the woods.

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 is very narrow. There are some fallen trees. I don't think this path is taken too often by anyone.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. 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:

There is a small stream. The stream moves quickly...the water rushes down the path of it.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Fast-moving water indicates a strong, active sex drive.

When you came to the water, you crossed it.

The subject is open to new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

It's an empty yellow coffee mug. The mug has a chip in it's side. I don't think it would hold any liquid.

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 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:

Old gold skeleton key. I wonder if it might unlock a treasure left behind by the owner of the coffee mug.

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). Keys that allow access to treasure or other valuable things indicate that the subject is fixated on gaining wealth through 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.