Is there a logical explanation for our lack of "control" in dreams?

Question

It seems to me that in 99% of the cases of dreams, we can't control what we want to dream about. [which really stinks!]
I think to some extent, I have been able to "explore" in my dreams. [providing the dream includes ourselves me as the protagonist!]
I have even had occasions where i could THINK in my dreams and acknowledge that i was, in fact dreaming and not in realirty.
but it seems i can never say "i want to dream about ice cream", and have a dream about ice cream. This confuses me, as it's our inner concious, which allows us to make MANY decisions when awake, yet wanders...sometimes REALLY wanders when asleep.

Just to clarify, [after reading the first answer].

I meant how come we can't control our "dreams" as in, the litteral sense, like when we're sleeping, rather than "i hope i can be a baseball player when i grow up".

Answer 1

Dreams are not proactive, they are reactive. In other words, dreams are a way for your mind to 'react' to what is happening to it (or has happened to it).

If you are depressed at work because your boss is a pr1ck, but instead you dream about ice cream instead, how is that helping you understand what is going on with your life? You can do that when you are awake (and, even better, you don't have to dream about the ice cream, you can actually eat it) but you can't always confront what is wrong with you when you are awake (otherwise you wouldn't be dreaming about it.)

You control your dreams by controlling and understanding what is going on in your life. If your dreams are out of control, maybe its because its too much a reflection of your life (either physically or emotionally), one that you do your best to ignore.

Answer 2

Actually a lot of people CAN control their dreams - or at least the direction of them. I know several people who have told me that if they don't like what they're dreaming, they just change it. I, however, have always been just the opposite. I will be thinking, oh no, what if THIS terrible thing happens? And that's exactly what does happen. So perhaps it's not a matter of being able to control the subject of your dreams, it's more a matter of guiding your brain WHILE you're dreaming. Work at it - I know it can be done!

Answer 3

Thank goodness we can't control our dreams!! (I really Q that some say they can!) Our psyche is complex and has to juggle our NEEDS and WANTS to an acceptable degree in our waking lives! That's a TRICKY job--getting us what we need and to some degree what we want! And STILL keep us out of trouble!! At night, it HAS to let off steam and NOT BE CONTROLLED!! It works out--and "off" so much conflict in our lives that we may not even be aware of!! If we couldn't DREAM, we'd have hallucinations!! That's what happens when people get so drunk that they pass out--chronic drunks--the alcohol PREVENTS DREAMING and thus they have the DT's--delirium tremens. (although those might occur only during withdrawal...?) Our minds have a mind of their own! And they get darned tired of being controlled by us! Just as WE have to have to Fun, Freedom, Power and Friends to let off steam!!!! (Wm. Glasser's Basic Emotional Needs)

Answer 4

"Our two minds .... One is an act of the emotional
mind, the other of the rational mind. In a very real
sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that
feels" (Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence,
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 1996, page 8). This
rational mind is also called the faculty of logic and
reason.

The emotional mind is the sub-conscious mind, and the
rational mind is the conscious mind.

When we sleep, the rational mind also goes to sleep.
It is the sub-conscious mind which causes dreams.
Hence the reason that we will not have conscious
control of what we dream.

Answer 5

In my opinion, I think it's not impossible to make our dreams come true, but what we really lack of is the key of making our dreams come to the reality. And the key is to KEEP FOCUSING on what we want to do, or to be. And do whatever it takes to make our dreams come true. However, since our lives are involved and twisted with so many things in our daily liefs, it becomes just hard to keep tracking on what we need to do for our futures.
I hope that I answered your question correctly.

Good Luck...

Answer 6

Probably a site like http://IhadADreamLastNight.com will help you out. There is a lot of content regarding dreams there.

Answer 7

-sigh- i won't be able to have faith i'm doing this, yet I shall clarify! Bella did no longer have a potential until now she replaced right into a vampire. It replaced right into a factor of her character. She replaced into solid at blockading human beings out, and blockading undesirable strategies out - undergo in strategies in e book one while she stated she did no longer undergo in strategies Billy as a results of fact she had blocked him out? comparable with Edward and Alice. Alice replaced right into a physic while she replaced into human, however the potential became extra concentrated while she replaced right into a vampire. Edward replaced into often able to understand what human beings have been thinking, possibly as a results of fact of their expressions or physique language, so as that became his potential. occasion: you're somewhat solid at understanding how human beings sense. while somebody is unhappy, you recognize immediately without them telling you. you recognize while somebody is mendacity to you besides. once you substitute right into a vampire, meaning you had as a human could substitute into extra amplified once you substitute right into a vampire. no longer all human beings have those skills nevertheless.