Let me start by being specific: I don't want to kill dreams - quite the contrary, I would like to keep them going. But instead of focusing on dream stabilisation, which is covered well in so many other threads, I would like to focus on what not to do, if the dream is to survive.

I seem to be able to end any dream, in a mere 2 or 3 seconds, if I start to think in a concentrated manner inside the dream. Actual honest-to-god contemplation of some matter will rapidly end my dream and awaken me. This unfortunately seems to imply that I'm limited to rather shallow thought in dreams, but apparently it is that way.

So my number one method of stopping a dream is simply: concentrated thinking.

Which methods do you use to end a dream, voluntarily or involuntarily?