Not strange at all...I am often only an observer in my dreams as well.

Me too. Those are best kind. No trauma. If nothing icky is happening to me or I am not doing anything icky, then IÂm OK.

Really? Wow. In my dreams, as in life, I'm always front and center of the action. The other night it involved a vacation marred by a "water landing" of the plane (I think the missing wing was to blame) and my subsequent need to stop sharks from attacking our floating bungalow. No more chocolate cake before bedtime.

The thing that I find fascinating in dreams is when I'm remembering something within the dream that didn't happen in real life. Like I'll be in a situation and talking to someone and the conversation might refer to past events that weren't dreamt of before. Does that make any sense?

I do naughty things in my dreams because I realize I'm dreaming and I can get away with it..

Does anyone else have dreams where your conscious and unconscious (sleeping) minds collude?

I've had for years and years, a dream where I've got to pee really, really badly but I can't find a "public" restroom clean enough for my prissy self. It's kind of like during family vacations when I was a kid the only bathrooms were in gas stations and they were beyond gross. Invariably I wake up and have to pee like a race horse. I don't have this dream often, at most once a year, but it's always the same and I always wake up needing to pee.

Last night I had a dream where a hand reached out of the clouds and was going to grab me and I thought pull me up into the clouds. But my conscious mind got involved and said "look chickie, you ain't dying and it's supposed to be heading towards the light, not getting strangled by your shirt collar". Then, while still sleeping, I had this argument with myself over why I was having such a dream when I'm not overly religious but "just in case", don't head toward the light, you have things to do today. I don't recall what lead up to the "hand" reaching out to get me, or why.

I don't know what I should quit doing, but I have some amusing dreams.

Laura,

I do that in my dreams all the time. I tell myself, "I've got to be dreaming, so let's make this fun."

For instance, a lot of my dreams lately have involved flying. I tell myself that since I'm flying, wouldn't it be nice to visit Paris? I head out East and before I know it the Eiffel Tower and the Arc d'Triomphe can be seen. Then I tell myself, "Now India!".

I also have this seducing the Men of Oz dream (Chris Meloni and Brian Bloom gorgeous) where I can control what they do with just a thought.

It's nice to be a demi-god in your dreams...

I've only just recently caught on to controlling dreams. For decades I've been plagued by the genre of dreams involving being back in college: all registered but forgot to arrange housing and it's getting dark, or realizing it've got a final for a class i never attended and i don't know where it is. Recently I had a version of that last one. I ran into a "best friend" (who I've never met) and learned I was missing a final exam. As I started to get all stressed I said "Wait a minute! This is just one of those dreams, isn't it!" and took off running for the class confident I'd get there and ace the thing. Unfortunately the familiar street turned into a run-down industrial area and I woke up, but I consider it progress :)

What was it about college that made such stressful dreams for us? I've had the missing a class, not knowing where the bio lab was, not being dressed when I got there, or missing a shoe! I guess they lectured so much about being responsible, it traumatized many of us.

I had a reoccuring dream for years, honestly, must have dreamed it dozens of time..

(a guy was shooting at me and I was dodging the bullets behind a car, I jump out to run, he shoots me in the side, it burns like hell, I wake up with my side really hurting.)

I was worried that it was how I would die in real life.

But, as soon as I started verbalizing to anyone that would listen to dream talk, about how this dude is shooting at me and my side burns, the dream went away and I haven't been shot at since..

I read somewhere that when you're aware you're dreaming is right before you wake up, normally, you're fully rested and you're about half in/half out and can somewhat control your dream.

I have since long ago been able to control my dreams. Especially any of the scary ones- I talk myself out of being so afraid by telling myself that it is only a dream, and therefore I have the ability to control what is happening, and turn the bad part around so that it's no longer bad. I have tried to continue in good dreams, but in those I am very conscious that I am much closer to being awake, so it doesn't even feel like the same thing to me. Whn I do control the dream, it is less like controlling the whole thing, and usually just side-stepping scary or bad things by knowing that it's a dream, and realizing that I can make the bad stuff stop. But the rest of the dream itself, usually then continues aside from my control.

Carolyn