My present theory is that dreaming is an active, tho unconscious, deed. So step 1 is to make the unconscious, conscious. And then step 2 is to stop dreaming.
More mundane examples : Turn off the movie. Quit the game. Close the book. Alarm clock goes off.
But that’s just me. I want to hear your opinions on this subject.
Once, I was dreaming that someone was violently chasing me, but right before he reached me, I realized I was dreaming (and therefore in control of what happened here), he spontaneously caught fire and started screaming. I woke up right after. Fun times.