It sounds like what's happening is your self evaluation is causing you to fall asleep going into an anxiety attack. Anxiety while dreaming often translates straight into nightmares, and the more "trippy" the dream the more raw emotion is being communicated (symbolism is for the analytical brain, experiential dream features are emotional and instinctual).

When lingering between sleep and waking (this would be phase 1, if I'm not mistaken) actually typically includes sleep paralysis, semi-lucidity (which is more powerful if you're naturally a lucid dreamer to begin with...as seems to be the case), and false awakenings. Those are actually perfectly natural. What's making them so negative is the anxiety.

Try self-empowerment exercises before bed, focusing on the positive things you can find from the day. Or even just focusing on relaxing and not reflecting on the day at all. If you're still having problems, you may want to talk to a doctor about taking an anti-anxiety medication and possibly having a sleep study done.