Have you ever been able to choose what you dream about?

[YesConsiderably]

They say that if you focus on something before you fall to sleep, you can kind of manipulate your brain into dreaming about it.

So i made this picture. I'm going to stare at it for an hour before going to bed.



I'll let you know if it works tomorrow, but i'm interested to know if there are any other tips for choosing your dreams.

 

[Skuffyshootster]

That's...that's just...brilliant.

Let me know how it goes, and try to bring back pictures.

 

[Tharwen]

'tis called lucid dreaming, and there are ways of training yourself to do it.

Some lucky bastards can do it entirely intuitively.

 

[WorldCritic]

Yes it is true that what you focus on before you sleep can affect your dreams, unfortunately I have a habit of unintentionally focusing on things that I don't want to. Like my ex-girlfriend, or my senior year English class.

 

[CaptainREBell]

I tend to always dream about events I'm stressed about. So, I guess if I'm stressed about something, I'll dream about it.
*Attempts to stress about a back massage and marshmallow invasion*
...Damn.
I tend to realise I'm dreaming quite quickly then everything changes to how I want it. WHICH IS BORING. I can change stuff when I'm fully awake and conscious, and least give my self-awareness a break, you friggin' lazy subconscious!! >8(

 

[Frontastic]

...Wow.

I've never had any control over a dream, in fact I've never even known it was a dream until I wake up. I've wanted nothing more than the ability to maunipulate dreams for a long time.

Actually my subconscious is quite hostile towards me. This is actually true. One time, few years ago, I had a dream where I was mere moments away from...erm...doing something *ahem*, when my mind shouted at me in my own voice "This is a dream!" and I woke up. It had a very smug, satisfied tone to it also. I hate my subconscious.

 

[Ldude893]

After watching Inception, I try to. Most of my dreams are created from past experience. Last night I had a dream with elements of Fallout.

 

[Pocotron]

Isn't that technique from like, Harry Potter or something?
Anyways, I did that technique from Harry Potter (strange enough) and it worked! But I have found myself in my dream once, you know where you realize its actually a dream?

 

[eggy32]

Nope, I've never had control over my dreams but then I don't really care since nothing bad ever happens in my dreams and I never need to take control.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

One time, I dreamt that I was web slinging around a city, except the city was on a beach, literally, you could see nothing but tropical beach for miles around, the city was about a meter deep in this beautiful blue water. That was one fucking awesome dream.

 

[SimuLord]

One night I dreamed I was a German general in World War 2 at the command of a panzer division. Reason? I'd spent the entire previous evening bashing my head against a particularly stubborn scenario in Panzer General.

The weird thing? I woke up the next morning, tried the strategy I'd devised in the dream...and it worked. Decisive victory (or "major victory" as the game put it)!

 

[mrjoe94]

Not that i can recall, i'd love to do that though

 

[Lineoutt]

'tis called lucid dreaming, and there are ways of training yourself to do it.

Some lucky bastards can do it entirely intuitively.

I envy them >.<

OT: I had complete control over everything in my dream including setting, people, and everything ONCE. It wast the best dream I've ever had and it was amazing. Incidentally it happened whilst I was camping and a wild boar charged past my tent into another one nearby.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

'tis called lucid dreaming, and there are ways of training yourself to do it.

Some lucky bastards can do it entirely intuitively.

No, what the OP is describing is not lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming describes, specifically, dreams in which the dreamer becomes conscious of the fact that they are dreaming but does not wake up, and as a result the dreamer becomes able to consciously manipulate the dream. It's something that people can train themselves to do (I've done it a couple times, but I've got a friend who's an expert, he's actually moved on from lucid dreams to OBEs).

Anyways, I've never had an instance in which I did what the OP describes... that is, specifically choosing what I would dream about before going to bed and then having that dream. I've tried it a few times, though never successfully. And I have had instances in which I could definately recognize how my dreams were related to the thoughts I had before going to sleep. My advice to the OP, if he really wants to live out his fantasy, is that his time might be better spent looking into lucid dreaming techniques.

 

[Jasper Jeffs]

I recently had a conversation about scooters and found one in my garage, and just yesterday I had a dream about scooters. I was riding one down a huge set of stairs in some industrial area, and I got closelined at the bottom. I then got twatted by some grey haired prick, and proceeded to follow him out of the industrial area and to this crossroad (in a city) that I've never been to, but dreamt of so many times before. Whilst I was following him, I was insulting him and speaking to the rapper Mos Def about respecting my elders, even though the guy just knocked the shit outta me.

.. fuck knows, t'was weird. It's that damn crossroad I wanna know more about, it feels so real and I have it pictured perfectly in my mind. I have no idea why, though.

 

[Mrkittycat]

Somtimes I can choose what I dreamabout. Normally I dream about what I think about often.
Super Powers and Sexy Times are recurring dreams.

 

[TehAudioSurfer]

I once managed to gain control of a dream unintentionally. As awesome as it was I felt a very sharp pressure-like pain around my head, not sure why though.

 

[YesConsiderably]

It didn't quite work last night. I'm not interested in having a "lucid dream" because i don't want to be aware that i am dreaming. I want my night with Tali to seem real.

I am going to try sleeping with a quartz crystal under my pillow tonight though.