"If I try to focus my conscious attention on it, then the image/video disappears and I’m back, looking through closed eyes...my issue may be a switching off of imagery by focusing conscious attention, switching to mechanically look out through my closed eyes, instead of maintaining access to some imagery function that comes as the conscious mind is falling asleep." Perfectly describes me. I feel like I have all the necessary machinery for rich imagery, but it gets overridden by some semi-conscious(?) brain module.

"If I try to focus my conscious attention on it, then the image/video disappears and I’m back, looking through closed eyes...my issue may be a switching off of imagery by focusing conscious attention, switching to mechanically look out through my closed eyes, instead of maintaining access to some imagery function that comes as the conscious mind is falling asleep." Perfectly describes me. I feel like I have all the necessary machinery for rich imagery, but it gets overridden by some semi-conscious(?) brain module.