Analysis for Rae, 18 April 2004

This is how you described the room:

The room is cool, but not cold. There are two beds in the room, of sorts; one is a narrow futon, big enough for one person, the other is a futon mattress spread on the floor. Both have institutional-green sheets.

There is a fireplace in one wall, but it is stacked full of books and has clearly not been lit in years. On the mantle over the fireplace are small stones - dull, intrinsically worthless, just stones. There is a computer on a desk in one corner. The monitor has a blind over it, which on closer examination is a sushi rolling thing.

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. The significant detail in the description of the room tells us that the subject has rich, lasting memories of childhood (94.55%). This room is neither comfortable nor uncomfortable; this suggests the subject had a bland, uninspiring childhood (95.83%).

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

The trees are tall, and crowd the area. Their leaves are green and plentiful. They are eucalyptus trees, for the most part, mixed with Australian pine.

The light is dim.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. A semi-dark forest tells us that the subject felt somewhat oppressed by the attention the adults gave (40.67%). Average-sized trees imply the normal influence adults have on a child: neither insignificant nor impressive (71.12%).

This is how you described the path:

The path is narrow, but easily followed because it is the only part of the area not heavy with fallen branches, rocks, and other obstructions. The path itself is well-trodden, and the leaves thick underfoot are tamped down firmly.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence (75.54%). A narrow path suggests that the subject had limited options for emotional growth at this time (99.99%). Poor visibility of the path tells us the subject was often confused by the changes brought on by adolescence (57.33%). The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time (79.31%).

This is how you described the water:

The water is a small, muddy river. The water is brown, stained with tannin from the trees and mud. The river is slow.

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 (94.18%). Slow, gently moving water suggests a passive, restrained, calm sex drive (95.02%).

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:

It is an old Coke bottle that some thoughtless bastard has littered the forest with. The label is somewhat faded with time and the elements.

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 (69.73%).

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:

It looks like a key to an old-fashioned lock, the kind with a straight shaft with a tab sticking out the end. It is very rusty. I don't think it unlocks anything any more.

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). Old-fashioned keys suggest that the subject desires a traditional career (95.26%). Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a career (99.00%).

You avoided the bear.

In a crisis, the subject prefers the indirect, non-confrontational 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.