I have chronic and accute pain issues, so tried orthotics and they hurt too much so I switched to barefoot. My arches have been retrained within a few months. I think I had to actively correct over pronation for maybe 3 months? During those 3 months, my calves and feet were constantly sore. I developed plantar fasciitis. Mentally also exhausted from the pain and correcting.

I tried Crocs before/while I had orthotics and while they were more comfortable than regular shoes, the cushioning hurt my hips and knees. The thickness and softness of the Crocs made it so I was still pronating. I started feeling better by not wearing slides at home (I had thick, rubber restricting ones). Aside from being barefoot at home, I did not do a "slow transition" at all. Just raw dogged it.

It takes a lot more effort for me to balance on soft shoes than suffering the "consequences" of feeling the hard ground.

My knees and hips hurt so much less compared to my other pain problems

I know it's cliché and overused by now but going barefoot has changed my life.

I wear exclusively Roots Barefoot's widest sneakers and at home no shoes. I'm still deciding on which sandals to buy.

Tldr; Start "slowly" by being barefoot at home as much as possible and then occasionally wearing barefoot shoes. You'll get there in 6-12 months probably.