[Experience] How interacting with ChatGPT helped me organize my emotions during divorce mediation
The day I vented my anger and felt my heart lighten
In the middle of divorce mediation, my emotions were in total disarray.
But I kept telling myself, 'If you get emotional, you lose!' I was exhausted by the gap between that voice in my head and the swirl of anger and sadness in my chest.
I read books.
I joined support groups for parents of children who refuse to go to school.
Both were helpful, but they couldn't touch the 'true feelings I really wanted to vent.'
That's when I had a sudden idea to vent my emotions to ChatGPT, and I'm sharing it because it was surprisingly effective.
Why I decided to talk to an AI
At work, I'm known as a 'nice guy.' It's more beneficial to get along on the surface, so I don't show my anger or true feelings. I think everyone is like that.
But with an AI, my humanity won't be denied, and no relationships will be ruined.
'Let me just write it all out once.'
Thinking that, I vented my emotions exactly as they were, not caring if it was incoherent.
The questions I threw at the AI
My wife and I used to love each other.
But our relationship deteriorated after our child stopped going to school. I thought I had been supporting her. I couldn't forgive [Name] and we started living apart. The final straw was when she did [Action] without asking me. Since we couldn't talk it out between the two of us, I considered rebuilding our relationship through a third party.
The discussions involved her lawyer too. I wanted to rebuild if possible, but it's difficult now.
How can I make peace with these feelings? If I could, I'd like to go back to before we lived apart.
...This is the kind of content that would get cut off if I told a person, 'That's too heavy and too much information!'
But the AI didn't interrupt; it took it all in and responded with words.
ChatGPT's response (summary)
You didn't just give up. It's proof that you supported her. But you also reached your limit.
You don't have to blame yourself for having feelings that you can't forgive.
The fact that you 'want to go back to the past' is proof that you still have love left.
What you should ask yourself from now on is 'what kind of family image do I want to protect' and 'what kind of example do I want to show my child.'
And finally, it concluded with this.
It is good to think of it this way.
'I have worked hard. Reaching my limit is proof that I have been supporting her.'
What I realized
You can get warm words from books and people, too.
But the experience of having such organized text returned to me in just a few dozen seconds was something unique to AI.
I can't make the anger and sadness zero, but
just waiting for the idea of 'forgiving myself for having these feelings' makes my heart a little lighter.
As an entity that gives me a chance to change my mindset and supports that first step, generative AI is more reliable than I imagined.
That is what I learned this time.
Points to note
AI is convenient, but fact-checking is essential.
In particular, always confirm legal strategies with a professional (lawyer).
However, as a partner for organizing your emotions, it definitely shows its strength.