Analysis for Rachele, 15 January 2005

This is how you described the room:

The room is cool enough to see my own breath, but I am warmly wrapped in an enormous quilt. I am laying on a once bright red sofa, worn with age. The floor is wooden and scattered with tapestry rugs. The only other furnishing is a coffee tavle with a stone sculpture of a mother and child. I smell coffee brewing in another 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. This comfortable room suggests a childhood that was pleasant. The depth of description tells us that the subject has strong memories of childhood.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

The terrain is rocky, but the forest is thickly populated with pine and aspen trees. It is a bright, but cold morning.

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. 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 more of an animal trail. It seems to be the only way through the trees. The rocks slip away underfoot if one is not careful.

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 swiftly moving and ice cold. Gazing upstream I can see that it flows from a mountain spring down a steep slope. It is level here however. The water itself is beautifully clear, and it switches back and descends to a spot where a deer drinks, unaware it is being watched.

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. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex. Note that the deer is not in the water.

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 is a wooden cup, hand-carved and still wearing bark on the outside. It is perfectly smooth on the inside.

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:

It is a silver piano tuning key.

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). That the key is not traditionally used to unlock something is revealing. Perhaps the subject is interested in a career in music? An ordinary-looking key suggests that the subject desires a nondescript career.

You avoided the bear.

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