Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Office of the CNS: Ensign Fayth Reporting for Psych Eval
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Sharah thought about it. “Perhaps my CMO on Challenger felt bad for me and made the request. A mind I am familiar with is easier to rest around than someone new. I was very sick while on Challenger. But there is a great deal of us arriving from Challenger, so there may not have been much of a choice but to put some of us together.” Sharah took a sip of water, unknowingly immitating someone very close to her, and thought about the next question. “Making friends is always hard for me. People don’t like that I seem to be distracted and not pay attention. I have a very good memory despite that appearance, and they tend to assume I’m reading their thoughts when I can actually recall the conversation on my own. They think I wasn’t paying attention. I don’t do that. It all comes too fast in my mind for me to process it all anyway. Well unless they WANT me to hear and then the thoughts get louder.” Sharah was sure that Lt. Nox understood what she meant. “But I am eager to make new friends. And my room mate is in a totally different department, so I won’t be seeing her that much anyway.” Sharah smiled.
En Fayth, Doctor

Sienna seemed satisfied with the ensign’s responses. It was possible that the CMO had made such a request. It was unusual but not unheard of. She made a note to herself to keep an eye on that situation just in case for both parties mental health. Sharah finally had broached the subject of her abilities. The way she spoke of them was almost dismissive. Probably a defense mechanism for all the times she had been accused of not paying attention. “How have you handled those moments when someone has accused you of not paying attention or reading their minds?”

Nox, CNS

“When I was little, I used to get mad, and I would yell a lot. The other children didn’t have their telepathy yet, and it was hard for them to understand. But I spent a lot of time with doctors and I didn’t spend a lot of time with other children. After my parents took me to Vulcan when I was 10 it got some better. I was able to control the…distractions some. Now though, I try to recall the conversation, including small things, like hand gestures, or when they stopped to take a sip of their drink. Physical parts of the conversation that wouldn’t be picked up with telepathy. Sometimes that puts people off, thinking I’m showing off, but I would rather that, than someone think I was invading their privacy.” Sharah pauses, “That hasn’t happened in a long time though. I’ve gotten very good and letting people think I’m distracted. But now that I’m older, people seem to take some telepathy in stride. They know I’m Betazoid and just assume that we pick up on stray thoughts floating around. Or maybe they seem to accept it because we are taught tolerance in the Academy. I’ve never listened to find out if it’s an act that they are accepting of differences or true. Though unless I tell them, no one knows I’m more sensitive than most Betazoids.”
En Fayth, Doctor

“I feel like adulthood will be a great eye opener for you. Granted, perhaps tougher than some people’s, but not a bad thing I think. Vulcan can be a very peaceful place for a chaotic mind. I have visited there several times.” She could imagine that the child Fayth had found some comfort there. It had been smart of her parents to go that route. Many that end up born as a telepath and empath become psychotic and non functioning. Some, became extraordinary. “How do you think your extra perceptions are doing in conjunction with your chosen profession?”

Nox, CNS

Sharah smiled softly and moved towards a rather unique looking plant near where she was sitting, that she hadn’t seen before. Vulcan had been almost as traumatic for her as the rest of her life. She didn’t find comfort in Vulcan at all. However, neither her face, eyes, mind, or emotions betrayed that thought. She turned back to the counselor and contemplated the question. “I don’t use it. Not without express permission from the patient. I have used it to help identify areas and types of discomfort. Often a patient can be confused or not sure how to describe how they are feeling, or what hurts. I’ve used both my telepathy and empathy to help them, but not without their permission. My professors that my ability to use their thoughts and feelings to pinpoint a diagnosis a gift. But they were under the impression I was using those talents when I was not. I think though that my own struggles for help and diagnosis have made me more emphatic towards my patients. My own natural empathy certainly drove me to be a doctor. When I was young, it was painful and scary to feel the hurt of all those around me, and not be able to stop from feeling it. And I had a need to help make their pain stop, and so I learned from my doctors how to do that.”

En. Fayth, Doctor