The Neuropsychologist and a Day Long of Testing.

So as part of my Fitness for Work, I was sent to a Neuropsychologist for testing.

It all started with a two hour interview.

I have to say I am getting pretty good at all this divulging stuff cause something came out during that interview that shocked me.

He asked me about traumas I have had.

I mentioned that when I was a child, my parents would go on vacation without the kids, more often without me as being the youngest and 3rd child, I was the "expensive" one.

One time they forgot to come back for a week.  During that week, I thought I had been abandoned.  The aunt I was staying with thought my family had died so she was showing signs of stress.

The psychologist asked if it had a lasting effect on my.  I realized that it did.  I had trouble forming close relationships, had trouble trusting people because of that event.

If I care about them too much, it hurts more when they leave.  And they will always leave. 

When I made the comment "I now take for granted that they won't stick around"  the psychologists face registered "emotion".  It goes on par with the fact that I am unlovable I guess.

Anyways... quite enlightening.

The second day was all kinds of tests.

Emotional intelligence  (EI) tests

Intelligence quotient (IQ) tests

Memory tests (short term only)

Processing tests and so many more...

When I left my brain was hurting.  I would like to know the results of the tests.  I guess I should ask.

I did stop to think at a certain point that even though they were doing all these tests, it would give them a result.  They would know if I have bad memory (short term), if I have emotional tolerance but as for the "IQ" aspect, without something to compare it against how do they know that I have a reduced ability compared to me?

They'll know what my ability compared to the average Joe is, but not compared to what I can normally do.

I used to tell my former doctor that  at my reduced ability (mentally), I was still higher ability than many.  She saw that as a sign of mania.

It's like telling Ben Johnson that because he says he can run faster than the average Joe on a bad day, he has an inflated sense of self.  That would be a wrong assumption now would it not be?

Note... My mental abilities are not exactly like Ben Johnson's running ability.  Just using exaggeration to illustrate my point.

Thanks for reading