Dude, your describing exactly what's happening to me.

Well except my mental images aren't as vivid as you are describing. I can start to get an image, and I feel like I'm just starting to slip away. I can feel myself sliping out of my body and the hallucinations JUST start to come on. The BOOM! I'm wide awake once I start to think about it again.

I'm hoping this isn't a problem and I just need practice? yeah?

Like I've taught myself to wake up after every dream too. So I tried this right after I woke up from my first dream of the night. I woke up with the last image from my dream still imprinted on the back of my eye lids. Then I got up and got some apple juice and tried going back to bed. It took nearly 25 minutes to fall asleep again. I'm guessing I shouldn't have gotten up, and should have just tried to fall back into the dream. yeah?