Concentration,IIH to all

["setiamon" <setiamon@...>]

I have been practicing raja yoga for about 10 years,not as steadily as
i should at times but generaly my meditation has focused on seed and
seedless meditation which is identical to bardons basic 1 pointed and
vacancy meditation,my question is have any of you achived mastery of
this ability yet for with me i'v managed to stay focused,and alert
instead of falling asleep and sustain my excercise for about 3 hours a
night at times,I am surprised when i hear people saying they mastered
this faculty of concentration in oh 5 minutes a day for a few months
and i find that hard to belive unless my method is lacking so i intend
to discribe my experience and reoutine and let more experienced
members point out my flaw

I start usually with a object,like a apple,Then i just focus on this
object and try and close down the surrounding thoughts encircling it
When it becomes just the object i noticed at this point(if the room is
totaly silent) i don't get Intrusions of personal thought like
relating to activities of the day or things going on but what i label
Chaos thought,threads meaningless conversations sometimes in other
voices and sounds and impressions coming in from around me as if from
outside,these i find impossiable to stop from intruding in my mind
even if i can get my mind to stay on the object.Sometimes I Even feel
a sudden "tug" and find myself at times "looking" at my room(even
though my eyes close) sometimes i see just my room sometimes i see
strange things...like people i never met before,i don't know if these
are "makyo" (junk from subconciouss distracting one from success or
insight) or if these are Astral visions?

second aspect i find unclear is how i should sustain the focus,at
first i need to project it with my will but after awhile i find i can
just "set" and let go of the initatial method...to explain it better
its like initatialy i "project" the image onto the screen with my
conciouss will and secondly i Watch the image with my unconciouss will
letting most of my "conciouss" strenous will dissipate,Is this correct
method?

P.S Should vacancy be practiced Simultanious as Concentration or only
after concentration is mastered?