It sounds like you are trying to force yourself into a Lucid Dream. But also I read on this forum a few years ago that somebody was able to stay aware during the other stages of sleep, and when this person did so, he was in blackness. went from a lucid dream to black to lucid dream.

I suggest you try my OE-REMILD technique..(which needs a new name..hmmm)..I'll bump it up to the top, also it's in the research forum. It's so far not gotten me lucid..due to slacking...but the nights that I have tried it I've had very vivid dreams, and they were mostly ones I thought I was awake, but not dreaming. So I have great faith in this method..