I have a friend who like me got a degree in psychology.

I told him once that I had a dream, where I knew I was dreaming and wanted to wake up but was incapable of doing so. I've never seen a study on this issue, but he claimed that that is impossible, to try to wake up from what you realize to be a dream but are incapable of doing so. He believes I had some sort of false memory.

For the neurologist and psychology scholars of /sci/, is it indeed possible to be aware that you're dreaming, desire to wake but be unable to do so?