Can't control my dreams at all

**strychnine** · 06-24-2012 12:40 PM

So I don't have any issue realizing in dreams "hey it's Sunday, and summer, I'm not supposed to be in school" or whatever and knowing I'm dreaming. However, I can't change my dreams. I can wake up or continue the dream. Let's say I'm going to imagine talking to an old friend or something. I think about it, and can sometimes get a very VERY faint image, but eventually it ends up just going black so I wake myself up. It feels like I have no control over what my own brain is doing.

**TheOneirologist** · 06-25-2012 03:31 AM

First of all, know that if you become lucid easily then you're already doing really well. Besides, being lucid often will give you lots of opportunities to practice. I've realized over time that dream control is something that you can't rush (though oftentimes I end up being stupid and rushing it anyway

). You have to start as small as possible and work your way upwards until you can do anything. I'd recommend starting with asking. Asking a question, believe it or not, is actually a very good way to begin practicing dream control. Focusing on summoning a friend you'd like to talk to is harder than, say, asking them to come out of hiding. A few nights ago I had a dream where I wanted to talk to someone as well. Instead of concentrating on making them appear, I just yelled out into the dream, "Lucy, come out here." Barely moments later the person I was looking for showed up from behind a corner.
So, if you start with asking and begin to realize that the dream does what you ask it to, it opens up a new level of confidence in yourself and the dream that you can do things more independently. This mindset almost instantly makes it easier to do things without asking, and the more you practice, the more confident you'll become. It's really just a cycle, and eventually you'll find yourself able to do anything, simply because your past experiences give you the knowledge that you can.
So...does that help?