Thanks for the insightful replies Lionheart and Proyect.
To answer what goals I have in regards to astral travel- I would like to explore as much as what I can about life and not just the physical. After having a profound spiritual experience about 10 years ago, I realise there is more to life and I feel astral travel with give me more answers and help my learning experience. That is my goal.
Sometimes I use focused intent, sometimes I wait and see what happens, either way nothing is happening at all.
Proyect- My dreams have become of a very dull quality lately and I can't remember them at all. It even feels almost as if my nights and naps are dreamless. This is in direct contract to my usual dreams that are full of colour and easily remembered.
The only things that have changed when the Ap's stopped is reading up a whole lots more of different aspects and techniques of astral travel. I wonder if maybe there's an overload of information and perhaps my old brain is trying to process it all

Before I lost my Ap's, there was no method at all that brought them on-they just seemed to happen naturally. They always happened though while I was having a 1or2 hour afternoon nap(never during nights)). As I would start to wake up mentally, Ap's would just naturally occur. There would be mind awakening, then usually a buzzing/roaring throughout, my mind's eye would feel as though it was expanding and then I would just be able to get out of my body.
With successful Obe's, there has never been any method used to bring them on. As I'm mentally wakening up,but body is still asleep, sometimes I get sleep paralysis or a sense of my mind/mind's eye expanding-that is always a precursor to my obe's.
Lately though, nothing at all in the way of pre-obe-phenonema is happening at all.
Lionheart- Ahh I remember the movie Inception. Think I will give the concentrated visuals a good go. Right now I have the total relaxation and empty mind downpat. But I guess having something solid to focus on will probably help alot. But I have to say, I'm blown away by the fact that you can imagine it and then have it turn into reality!