Hi, sorry to bother anyone, but I thought this place might help. I have a friend who is thirteen and wants to know a way of teaching himself to control his dreams. i.e. Having dreams about specific things or people. Can anyone here help???

Guest,
Perhaps start with this link from MDS
Lucidity.com

Then Google or Yahoo two terms:
Lucid dreams
Dream incubation

Although please note I personally find controlling dreams is of no real value since it allows the conscious to exert it's perceptions, which are superficial compared to the depth of the unconscious, leaving the dream content of no real value to the dreamer.

Lucid dreaming is first being aware you are dreaming during the dream. A typical method is prior to falling asleep to concentrate on seeing your own hand in the dream to act as a cue or signal to the conscious that you are dreaming. Once adept at this signal a person can then use that conscious awareness to direct the dream content.

Dream incubation is much different and I feel has much value. I personally use this to answer questions including interpreting meaning of prior dreams. With this method a person focuses on a question, issue or whatever prior to sleep. There is no control exerted so the unconscious will respond with it's uncontaminated contents regarding the incubation thoughts. Of course, it can be difficult to interpret and connect to the incubation but that is where learning dream interpretation is a great help.

Regards,
Kathy

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 43 Central OH

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} Female

Hi there

Dream control ,, ?? It depends just what you mean. This seems like a nice idea, (a bit like sweet foods). Influencing dreams may be possible - it is more of an almost two way with ones unconscious ,, but not really.
The benefit is initially gained by understanding.
Control dreams ,,, woah ,, a bit like trynig to contol our environment

JC

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 47 Brisbane Australia

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} M

Hi there

Dream control ,, ?? It depends just what you mean. This seems like a nice idea, (a bit like sweet foods). Influencing dreams may be possible - it is more of an almost two way with ones unconscious ,, but not really.
The benefit is initially gained by understanding.
Control dreams ,,, woah ,, a bit like trynig to contol our environment.
Perhaps engage this teenagers curiosity and learn about the (natural) purpose of dreams ,,, and what dreams is he / she having that need to be controlled ,,, herein lies a mystery

JC

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 47 Brisbane Australia

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} M

Actually I have dream control....mostly(lol) For me I have just always known how. Mostly it's dreams in the daytime though (I call them DayMares) I'm awake when I have them...their like dreams but if something happens that I don't like, I can stop it or change it. I wouldn't know how to teach someone to do this....I guess step A might be to get ADD. ADD kids have so many thoughts going through their heads at once it's easy to change subjects or even characters. Sometimes this doesn't work though and you have no control over the characters that you really wish you did.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 28- kennesaw,GA

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Ooh! I've done that a few times. Although everytime I do, I'm in my neighborhood running in and out of people's houses. It's always a little bit weirder than the ones I don't control.

Example:
I was outside of my home. I knew I was dreaming and didn't have to be held back by earthly things anymore (In other words, clothes disappeared again). I ran around and went into my back yard where a mafia was meeting. I hid behind the air conditioning thingy outside. Then my friend showed up and I asked him, "Do you think if the cops found me naked, they wouldn't care, or would they send me to dream prison?"
"Dream prison." So, I put my clothes back on. Then I though, "It's a dream, I wonder if I can fly?" So I jumped towards a hill and slowly glided down. On my glide, I passed a girl from school sitting by a creek with a baby.

Yeah, they tend to be biazarre!

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 16 West Virgina

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} Male