Analysis for Anonymous, 14 March 2005

This is how you described the room:

It's strangely cold, and I can see my breath. The room is largely empty, but has a desk on one wall with a computer on it and a low, flat bench with minimal padding directly opposite.

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. 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:

It is a thin forest largely composed of elms, with a thick, rich black soil on the ground. The echoes of the outside world and occasional glimpses can be seen through the trees. The forest is bright and the air is cold and dry.

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. 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 narrow, but clear, with only a few stones and leaves in it. It's clearly visible. It is not paved, but seems to be a dirt track ploughed up by a machine, dusty and thin; it looks like the machine hasn't used it in some time. I can't tell if anything else has.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. The visibility of the path tells us that the subject had a good idea of what to expect from 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. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

A thin creek with clear, fast-moving water flowing over rocks and stones. There's no indication of why the path ends here, as I could hop over the creek with one step.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). The movement of the water suggests a normal, average if somewhat playful sex drive. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex.

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 not what I would expect; it's actually a goblet carved from a light wood, very plain but beautiful for its simplicity. It appears to be clean, an indication it has not been here long.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A container that is both decorative and practical indicates that the subject considers both romantic and pragmatic aspects of marriage.

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's an old style clock key, with a cloverleaf handle and a thin haft. It appears to have once been bronze but is now heavily tarnished. If it unlocks anything, it'd be some long-vanished clock.

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). Note that the key doesn’t unlock anything. Having it wind a clock may suggest an obsession with time. Decorative keys suggest that the subject wants an attention-grabbing, one-of-a-kind career.

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.