can people control their dreams?

[Auburn]

Is it true that people can control what they dream about? If so, then how? LOL someone told me that you could control what you dream about.....I thought that it was silly, but oh well...i want to know what you guys think

 

[Andreus]

i have read that its posible but cant remember what the details were on how

 

[JakeBequette]

Some people say they can, I've never tried. It's called Lucid Dreaming​

 

[Andreus]

It's more fun to control OTHERS dreams.

lol

does that include wet towels and peanut butter on the lips?

 

[puka-pride]

i've done it a few times.. i dunno how i do it though... and i can only seem to do it when i have a dream first.. then if i wake up i can go back to sleep and relive the same dream but change things in it.... its weird... but i usually turn it into a sex dream

 

[trawler69]

I can do it sometimes and find it is to do with being almost awake but realising that it is a dream and losing inhibitions and doing what you want. Some times I have dreams within dreams within dreams where I wake up and realise I was dreaming only to wake up again to find that was a dream too and finally wake up in my bed and realise they were all dreams. I like dreams where I can fly, I know I'm dreaming and by using will power I can fly around. If I want to have a sexual dream, while I'm just dropping off to sleep, I concentrate hard on the mental images of what I want to happen. It often works.

 

[BrandonSBCA]

I've never been able to control what I dream. I've never been able to control what I do in the dream. But I'm able to remember what I did in the dream.

 

[blooeyz]

You can.
You need to visualize specifically what you'd like to dream about immediately before going to sleep. You need to do this repeatedly for several days or weeks, and it will happen. they key is remembering that you are dreaming, while you are dreaming so you can affect the dream while it is happening.
to do this, you need to add a cue early on in you vizualizations that will remind you that you are dreaming. Good luck

 

[BoSoxFanVa]

I wish I could control my dreams. It seems that a majority of my dreams are unpleasant and violent. Maybe these are the only ones I remember.

 

[Brijan]

Some people say they can, I've never tried. It's called Lucid Dreaming​

Close, but Shock said it better:​

Lucid dreaming (also known as dream consciousness or conscious dreaming) is dreaming while being aware that you are dreaming. To actually have a lucid dream you merely have to recognize that you are dreaming. Realizing you are dreaming may not seem all that special, but becoming aware that you are dreaming presents the opportunity of controlling dreams.

Just to reinforce Shocks point, lucid dreaming is only being aware that you are dreaming.
While this is usually considered a precursor to controlling one's dream, this is something easier said than done.

Having a lucid dream does not mean you will be able to control your dream.

Blooeyz's suggestion is better at improving dream recall rather than lucid dreaming. (The point is that dream recall can be considered a precursor to lucid dreaming.) Additionally, setting up or prompting a dream is not lucid dreaming.

There is a lot out there about dreams, lucid dreams, and influencing/controling your dreams.
Shocks' site (dreamviews.com) is a good place to start as is Jake's wikipedia link.

 

[Auburn]

Are you a little apprehensive over the idea of controlling your dreams, for various reasons?

Well, i am apprehensive about it, i guess. I keep having violent dreams, usually where i get stabbed or shot....i have those dreams WAY too much, probably because they are things that are phobias for me!

 

[Brijan]

Well, i am apprehensive about it, i guess. I keep having violent dreams, usually where i get stabbed or shot....i have those dreams WAY too much, probably because they are things that are phobias for me!

If you are frequently having the same dream, or dreams with the same theme, it could be your unconscious trying to work out problems/alert to you issues, in your conscious life.

If the root of the recurring dreams is simply that you do have phobias of these things then you could try work on your fear of them in your waking life. (Maybe read up on the topics/weapons or systematic desensitization; although I'm not sure how you might go about that for firearms.)
If you ask me, that "explanation" seems too simple.
Pay attention to other details of the dream, be it people or objects that seem to stand out. Also pay attention to your feelings about these objects. It is difficult to go much further than that for the moment because:
a) dream interpretation is very personal
b) dream interpretation is very subjective
c) dream interpretation is not necessarily reliable
d) dream interpretation relies on interpreting elements and then making sense of them holistically

Good luck!
(Hopefully you have adequate dream recall.)

 

[WillMc88]

I can sometimes control my dreams. Like a few people said, you have to realize that you're dreaming first, at least that's how it is for me. Sometimes, if I'm having a nightmare, I can convince myself in the dream that I'm dreaming, and force myself to wake up.

This is pretty interesting though. I think it'd be awesome to learn how to indefinately control your dreams.

 

[Nonimus]

Only did it once when i was a kid - having a dream about 'Jaws', which terrified me so i turned myself into the shark and went swimming - strange but true.

 

[The_Reaper]

I've done it once or twice during nightmares....

Damned if I know how..

I guess just the realization that you're dreaming and your mind can do what ever it can think of helps.

If you know it's a dream, then go for it.