I see, thank you for the explanation. That does make it a little more convoluted than I had hoped. But I suppose it's either that or host an instance myself.

Anyway, thank you.

Thank you! That explains a little. Follow up question: If the new instance has defederated or "blocked" some community that I am following on this instance, will I still be able to follow them if I import the saved file?

No. Just because you've been asigned a label for some behavior doesn't mean it goes away or that anything has changed. You're just more aware and are equipped with information to help you navigate through life more efficiently. However, what medication does to you is entirely different, as it is also very subjective.