If this is what's going on in IT's as seems to be in my own case it begs some interesting questions as to the 'why'.
In my own I usually have no difficulty whatsoever getting down to a state where the body is gone. It usually deepens to the point where there's lots of light about, and a very loving feeling.
The sign on waking for me of having been there is that my fingers feel stiff like after sleep when I get back to c1, plus a more diffuse, more open sort of awareness.
But only at times do I experience visuals, and then usually for short snatches.
There's a separate state that does produce more visuals, but that's to me closer to sleep, and while often highly symbolic can cross over into the 'obviously recycling the day's stuff' type of dream.
I have got much better at staying conscious while sleeping - I've several times been amazed at how deeply asleep I actually was when I thought I was only lightly dozing while lucid dreaming.
It's like either there's barriers (fear?) that prevent certain states, or a habit of heading for certain other ones.
It'd be good to hear from you guys with more experience - why these tendencies, what's going down and what's to be done to open it up a little?