Recently, my boyfriend (now ex) of 2 years has been accusing me of infidelity and lying although I have done nothing and have been completely faithful and honest. Finally, I had enough and wanted to end the relationship.  He has mental issues and has threatened suicide unless I "confessed" to things that I have never done. The only way he said he would be okay with breaking up is if I took a polygraph test to prove that I hadn't done anything and that he could part in peace.

Unfortunately, I agreed. 

Today I went to the polygraph examiner's office, called Arizona Polygraph Examiners in Phoenix, AZ. My experience was extremely traumatizing for me. 

When I got into the office with the examiner (I think it was Laura Wells), she acted friendly and we began the process of creating questions with no problem. When the time came to begin the actual exam, I was ready to take the test and was not nervous because I knew that everything I said would be true and I had nothing to hide.

The first round of questions involved me writing the number 3 on a note pad, after which she asked me questions such as "Did you write a 1...2...3....4....5....". I was told to respond with a no to each of the questions, which I did. At this point she said that she had a hard time registering that the "no" to the "3" was a lie. I said perhaps it's because she told me exactly what to say so I was just repeating the answers I was told to.

The second round of questions was actually about the fidelity exam, with control questions of "Prior to this year, have you ever broken the law" and "Prior to this year, have you ever lied to help yourself" which the answers were both yes to. However, she told me to reply to both with no. I did.
She stopped this round of questions, and rudely turned to me and said that I was cheating the test and to stop. Completely shocked, I asked what I was doing because I was just answering normally. She responded by saying that I knew what I was doing, I was trying to cheat, and if I continued then she would end the test and tell my boyfriend I was cheating.

At this point I was extremely distressed. I am only 19, and I think of myself as a very nice person and when confronted in this rude manner by a woman whom I was counting on to be professional really shocked me. I began to cry, I tried to hold it in as long as I could, but being in the room with a high pressure situation where I was being intimidated was too much. I began crying during the second round of questions. I didn't want to say anything because she was so intimidating and I didn't want her to be so mean to me again. I kept trying to hold myself together and tried calming myself by steadying my breaths. I know that crying would mess up the test, I wasn't trying to screw with the exam. She again stopped this round, saying that I was cheating. 

When she noticed that I was crying, she rudely asked when I was going to stop crying, because she couldn't do the test when I was crying. I sort of shrugged because I was practically bawling, and instead of pausing, she instead tore all the clips off my fingers, and bands around my body, and the blood pressure cuff. She then opened the door without saying anything, brought my boyfriend in, and told him that I was cheating on the test. 

I was wondering what I could have been doing wrong. I have not read anything about the supposed ways to cheat the polygraph test because I didn't need to, I was telling the truth. However, apparently me telling the truth was me trying to cheat the machine. I honestly have no idea about countermeasures or anything, I was just being truthful. I don't know if she thought me trying to breathe steadily was me cheating. I also felt like when she told me what answers to say for the lies, it may have made my lies show up less significantly?

Her "professional opinion" with her "12 years of experience" that I was trying to cheat the test has destroyed the relationship between my boyfriend and I, we were trying to at least be friends. She said I could go back for a free retest, but quite frankly I know that won't do anything but cause me more discomfort.

I'm extremely upset at being accused of lying, and now cheating on the test. I have no idea what I did wrong.

Believe me, I am and plan on staying away from him. I can't believe he wanted me to go through with something that I now know is a completely unfounded practice.

At this point, I don't care about proving myself to him, I just want to know what the heck the polygraph examiner could have seen that what would her think I was cheating. It seems like she just took our money and didn't even try to earn it. I guess telling people they're cheating on the test is an easy way to get out of more work, I wonder how many people actually go back for a retest.