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.
Depressing option: try suicide. Works every time for me. The main idea is to put yourself in a scary unusual situation enough to raise your heart rate. Like usually at the end of nightmares there is a ‘boo’ moment that elevates your heart rate enough for you to wake up.