Can you control your subconscious?

Usually I don't remember my dreams, but sometimes I can "feel" like I'm sleeping and "tear" myself out of them. It's like a paralyzing feeling like it is really hard to move my arms and legs and is extremly hard to open my eyes. Really hard to explain, but I don't think its my biological clock beacuse this can happen anytime during REM sleep (if I actually am in it anyway). Also has nothing to do with what I eat or drink, it seems completely random when it happens. Just wondering if this happens to anyone else.