I am really worried about a friend of mine. We haven't communicated much lately but when we do, I get the strangest sense that something is really wrong. I tend to be very emotionally intuitive with people's emotional energies, so it's hard for me to believe I'm way off base about this. When I've asked her, she either shrugs it off as nothing or she seems to tactfully change the subject. I don't push on this type of thing so, when the feeling comes to me, I've been praying about it, hoping it will go away or even perhaps that I'm just wrong in my gut feeling...

I asked the IC about this and received hexagram 29, lines 4 and 5 changing to hex 4. Now, this is a very interesting response for several reasons! My first thought is it confirms something is definitely going on with my friend. After reflection though, I had to take into account that she actually works in a prison. Therefore, could this response simply be telling me that this is a job related struggle and not some deep emotional "bad spot"?

additional cast

Because of the confusion, I asked IC, what is the prison you referred to?
Response: Hexagram 40, line 4, changing into 7.

I'm guessing this means the prison reference was not referring to her work in the prison, but rather perhaps some unhealthy alliances/relationships she has. Any thoughts on this? I hesitate to interpret this directly, as I (personally) have found significant issue with several within the group of people she often associates with, but have learned to keep both my opinion and my experiences to myself for the sake of our friendship and somewhat (I confess) out of concern for her in the event that she does have a similar horrifying experience as I with this group of people.
Any ideas or thoughts?

I see nothing in 29.4.5 that suggests prison, but it does indicate that she's going through a rough patch right now. The good news though is that 29.4 and 29.5 are not too scary, plus they yield the relating hexagram 40, which talks about release from tension, so it looks like it's all working out for the best.