There is something about feeling the band around my chest that comforts me. Yes, I love how the cups hold my breasts but the band feels almost like a hug. Of course, I don't wear a brassiere all the time so I don't experience the relief we hear some women have taking off their brassiere after a long day wearing it.
Many women describe the feeling of the band exactly as that, an embracing hug. You are not alone. I too feel the same with it. As someone who does wear every single day, sometimes up to 18 hours a day, but most days at least 14 to 16 hours, i find I miss the pressure of the snugness around my chest when braless. That too, I have found is something woman say as well and one of the reasons, other than the support and containment of their bras, why they will not be caught not wearing a bra. it is more disconcerning to not wear a bra than wear one and deal with any discomfort one might get from wearing one. Clear case of the pro out ways the cons. I too have come to the same conclusion. As I was telling a lady friend of mine who knows of my need for a bra, that I am more aware when I am not wearing a bra than when I am and she laughed and said, welcome to the club!
As for the ecstasy of the removal of the bra, at the end of the day, I get that too. I experience that too. As a DD/DDD, a bra has become a necessity and due to the constriction of a how a bra works, there is a relief when the pressure is released. I also believe some of what women say is relief is that they are not wearing the right size bra to start with. While I admit the relief of release after a long day in a bra is very nice, it is not torture like some act. Again, I believe it is because of incorrect bra size. Having worn the wrong size bra until I was fitted, I get the pain a bra can bring when not the right size. After I got properly fitted and started wearing the right size bra, that "torture pain" went away. But even so, it is still nice to be released from my bra after a long day being contained. It's the same as wearing a pair of shoes all day and getting home and changing into sandals or sneakers.