That was a great story. I was 37 before I realized I was capable of seeing and hearing the dead. Before that, I had closed myself off out of fear of seeing something scary. So lucky you that you're just 34
Working with a group is awesome. We tried to put one together here but no one I contacted was interested in improving and honing their medium skills.
As Leah suggested, read through my blog to see how I got past my fear and opened myself up. Try these two for starters:
Erin Pavlina’s Blog » Blog Archive » Revelations Erin Pavlina’s Blog » Blog Archive » My Criss Angel MindFreak Experience