It is painful to be pushed out of a group explicitly or subtly. I remember years ago when I was subtly pushed out of a tight group of women. I was super busy at the time, and looking back it is clear that my life took a dramatic personal turn that made me both unavailable and quite dissimilar to the group in terms of their interests, focus, and goals at the time. It was mostly a natural change, but at the time it was difficult for me to see that, and I was hurt.
Recently I was pushed out of a group that I have known for a long time. The push was painful and hurtful and occurred because of differences in perception, goals, and process. I tried to keep the group together, but my efforts did not work and may have even made the situation worse. It has been a very painful breakup that I find difficult to understand or value in any way. Yet, perhaps similar to the first situation, I will understand what has happened with greater clarity in the future.
I have witnessed other people pushed out of groups or professional roles in the past--it has never been easy to watch, and makes me wonder about better ways to make changes with regard to group work. I have witnessed kinder, more thoughtful changes occur too so I know that's possible. Onward.