Voodoo Dolls? The only thing I know about those is that they were developed by ancient African Shamans. Some of that are still used in Lousiana area.
Yes, I'm familiar with that kind of "Pause and Resume" kind of dreams. That has happened to me. Sometimes when one manages to interact with that dream (somehow becoming conscious while dreaming), it becomes Lucid Dreaming. Some people are able to do that.
That might be why the dolls are widely used in horror stories.