How Do I Know If This Is Real Or In My Head?

I have experienced things my entire life. I can sense when I am not alone, I have seen objects be moved, etc... And I have seen one actual spirit (it was my step dad). Ever since I was a little girl, in every place I have ever lived I seem to be contacted in some form. Mostly a simple gesture by the entity to let me know I am not alone like something being thrown/moved. But I'll be the first to tell you I am a huge 'fraidy cat so I often pray for protection and always ask whatever it is NOT to show itself. More recently (and increasingly over the last few months) I am having lucid dreams where I am very aware I am in a "dream state..." I am surrounded in my bedroom by 20-30 people. They're pulling at me and talking all at once to the point it's just chatter. I don't sense they want to hurt me but I do sense they're all touching my arms and reaching out to me hoping if they touch me I'll connect to them and we can communicate. These are not people I know, or have seen, and they are not still living.

2-3 years ago I lived in a house in Miami and was very aware of a little girl's presence. I sensed her for my last year in that house and she eventually began appearing in my dreams. I don't know why I know the girl was one in the same but I just knew. Those dreams were also lucid, I was very aware of everything. It was my first experience with a lucid dream, she would try to pull me from my bed and I would fight because I was beyond terrified. She had a very negative energy. I sensed her presence a lot when I was awake and my dog wouldn't even go into certain areas of my home. My point being I have experienced these dreams before where I am contacted and am very aware I in a dream state and have to wake myself up to escape the situation. However now the energies do not feel negative (yet), and there are many people all at once, not just one.

I am reaching out to anyone who can help me understand exactly what is going on. I can't see a psychologist because they'll say I'm crazy. My family laughs at me and has always made fun of my ghost stories, but it's getting more intense and I was afraid to go to sleep. I wake up several times a week at 3am. I believe my "sensitivity" is increasing and I think people are trying to communicate with me but I make it very clear I am scared so they probably know not to appear when I am actually awake. Let me be clear, I am fully aware in these dreams. At some point I make a "conscious" decision that I need to get out of them and I start screaming as loud as I can until I literally wake myself or my boyfriend up from hearing the screams. I don't know if you can assist me, but I would like to speak to someone who can help me find out how much of this is real, how not to be afraid and how I can control it. I've had seen too many objects move from entities that I do not believe this is imagination.

I recently visited a psychic who (before I shared any of this) told me I am sensitive. She suggested I close my third eye at night before I go to bed to stop the "visits..." It completely worked. I don't know if it was just in my head but it worked. Now I am seriously confused. If this is a real gift then I feel guilty that I turned it off. I would really love to know definitively if I have a gift, and how I go about developing this.

Thank you to every one who reads my story. Please contact me and share your experiences and any words of wisdom you may have.