An Interview with Robert Johnson

“It is almost always the case that whatever has wounded you will also be instrumental in your healing.”

I had the good fortune to attend seminars by Robert Johnson in the 70’s, at the time he was writing “He,” “She”, and “We.” I was in my twenties, and really had no idea what he was talking about; it took me years to appreciate what he was saying. What I remember most about him was that he had the most intense blue eyes, and was extremely aware of all of the people in the room.

This three hour long video captures some of his wisdom. It is special to hear the wisdom of an elder who has witnessed so much.

Johnson had a remarkable first encounter with Jung, where Jung essentially spent three hours telling him what a dream he had meant and what he should do with his life:

You met Carl Jung in person. Could you say something about your first encounter with him?

It was a dramatic thing. Talk about slender threads; it was one of the slenderest. I hardly got there. It took all the combined forces of heaven to set that meeting. I could never have managed it out of my own intelligence.

I was in Zürich, which was another slender thread, preceded by another slender thread. And I was doing analysis with Jolande Jacobi, who was one of Jung’s close followers. She was probably the most unsuitable analyst for me where her temperament was concerned. She had extraverted thinking where I have introverted feeling. She conducted her analytical hours pacing the floor. She was a bundle of energy and very domineering.

One day I had a huge, big dream. In retrospect, I think I can see why it frightened her. She evaded it. She said, “That’s an old man’s dream. You shouldn’t dream dreams like that. We are not going to talk about it.” This wasn’t satisfactory to me. I had had the dream whether I should or not. And it’s true, I was 26 years, and it was too heavy a weight to put on a 26-year-old. So, I walked out on her, for which she never forgave me.

I went to Mrs. Jung and asked for an hour with her. Mrs. Jung was highly introverted, a very quiet, graceful, and courteous person. So, I told her the dream. She did not know what to do with it. But she honored it and listened to it. She told the dream to Dr. Jung that night, and he told her he wanted to talk to me.

In about 3 hours he told me who I was, what I should do, what I should not do, what to trust, what not to trust. It was an extraordinary experience. He told me to stay with myself, not to marry, not to join anything. He encouraged me a great deal. He said, “The collective unconscious will support you.” Which it has. I’ve worried myself sick, but it has always come through. These slender threads have never failed me. But I didn’t know that. I didn’t have faith in that.

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