to make people feel better about their dreams, to look at them as gifts," says Fox. "That's my goal, for someone to say 'I feel better about this.'"
For two years now, Fox has used her unusual expertise to help FirstHealth Hospice and Palliative Care patients, families and caregivers sort through their dreams. She does this by working with Keith McDaniel, a Hospice bereavement counselor, in dream support groups, and during personal discussions with people who have been referred to her by the Hospice chaplain, social workers or other staff members.
"Karen approached Hospice looking to use her specialized training to support patients and their caregivers and families," says Susanne Tyndall Martínez, Hospice's volunteer services coordinator. "Initially, she started working with Keith in providing bereavement support groups. As with many new services, generating referrals for dream support took a little effort, but now the referrals are coming in regularly and Karen uses her training and expertise to provide support that was previously unavailable through volunteer services.
"We're encouraging our staff to actively listen for dream support opportunities when they visit with patients and to promote this volunteer service."
McDaniel says Martínez asked him to meet with Fox because she knew he was already conducting dream groups to help people deal with grief.
"We found we had similar ideas about how to work with dreams," he says. "Karen sat in on a series of dream groups and now continues to assist with these groups whenever they are offered. She also works with patients and their families as referrals come in from other staff members. We are fortunate to have her. She has had extensive training in dream work, and has chosen to use this training in a meaningful and caring way."
A native of Springfield, Ohio, Fox has lived all over the Midwest, but came to Pinehurst with her husband, David Cook, in 2002 after 20 years in Connecticut. Fox, a project manager for a large regional bank, and her husband, a personal trust officer, had been looking for a good place to take early retirement and play golf.
She became interested in the study of dreams during a spiritual retreat where dreams were part of the discussion, and followed that up with an intensive two-year course on dreams at the Haden Institute in Flat Rock. Episcopal priest and therapist Bob Haden directs the program, which offers training based on the psychology of Carl Jung.
Dreams and their symbols figure prominently in Jungian psychology.
"It was wonderful," Fox says about her dream study experience. "I was a banker by trade with very linear thinking. As I discovered, there is a full other side to your brain. I wanted to use it."
According to Fox, dreams help the individual sort through troubling situations that can't be addressed by the part of the brain controlling logical thinking. When a person sleeps, the subconscious takes over, and dreams (with their often confusing symbols) begin.
"Our psyche tells us what's going on with us, and we should pay attention," Fox says. "Symbols don't always make sense. They're very confusing, and they can be scary. My job is to help people understand their symbols."
Despite their confusing presentation, dream symbols are often repetitive and usually involve common, everyday items. Cars -- lost cars, cars that won't start – figure frequently in dreams. So do maps, elevators, chases, tests, or being inappropriately dressed or undressed.
Fox herself dreams about cell phones. She can't see the screen or get the buttons to work.
"Each of us needs to look at these symbols," she says.
A person who is approaching death or the family member who is facing the loss of a loved one may be especially troubled by the symbols in their dreams -- even more so when the symbols change, as they often do. Upon examination, however, dreams and their symbols are often found to have obvious interpretations, usually involving unresolved issues.
"It's amazing to me how open people are about the subject matter of their dreams," Fox says. "It's my job to tell them they are symbols."
In addition to her work with Hospice and the dream groups that she conducts for groups of six to 10 people, Fox teaches a class, "All about Dreams," at Sandhills Community College. The next course begins Sept. 10, and will meet on six consecutive Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m.
Again, the focus is on symbols.
"Nobody can tell you what your dreams mean," says Fox, "but they can help you figure out what they mean."
For more information about volunteering with FirstHealth Hospice and Palliative Care, which provides services in Moore and Montgomery counties, or the dream groups conducted by Keith McDaniel and Karen Fox, call 715-6000.
