Great article. I have experience with a very gifted medium who has done some freakishly accurate readings for me on people in my life who have passed. All my contact with her has been online under a false name and I gave her no information on them apart from their first name and relationship to me. In one case I didnt even give a name and she got the appearance, personality, manner of speaking and reason for the breakdown of our friendship! She said that the spirit often separates from the body before death and that suffering is not as bad as it appears, echoing your sentiments.