Painful...yes. but suffering which is a strong word to me and I see it as a prolonged pain and that would definitely not be the case. Then again I've lost a lot of people in my life in a variety of ways and while painful I've learned to move on somewhat quickly. Of course this assumes that I wasn't severely mistreated in anyway...that's a whole different story...resolution is far more complicated. Plus the way I use my T seems to be different...I do not focus too much on my relationship with my T because the relationship is not all that important in my therapy as long as she continues to serve the purposes I need her for as a therapist. I focus strictly on my goals and for my goals my relationship with her is pretty minute in terms of importance. I see her for her training and knowledge only...so far that has proved effective for me. She's a sounding board and a guide. The guide is where her knowledge and training come into play.