One of the biggest problems I have with dreams, whether or not I realize I'm dreaming, is that the worst ALWAYS happens. Any time something is happening ... let's say I'm running from an oversized demonic grey gorilla with dark tribal tattoos all over him ... if I think, "okay, so I just lost him way on the other side of the building, but he might be just around this corner," and then I turn the corner, BAM!, he's right there. If I've made myself insubstantial so I can walk through a wall, and I think, "man, it would be really bad for me to lose control and revert to being solid right now," I'm guaranteed to become solid right then and there, stuck halfway through the wall. If I'm flying (or, more accurately, hovering), and I even consider the possibility of not being able to any more, I'm suddenly back on my feet and I can't take off again. And similarly, if I'm having a conversation with one of my favorite rock stars, and I think, "it would suck if I woke up right now" -- you guessed it -- I wake up immediately. (Though I suspect that last thing is more about my problem of not being able to stay asleep once I realize I'm dreaming ...)

Does anyone have any advice for either of these issues? Preferably something more helpful than "stop thinking of what might go wrong," because that just can't be done ...

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Ne raillons pas les fous; leur folie dure plus longtemps que la nôtre ... Voilà toute la differénce. [Robert W. Chambers, "The King In Yellow"]