Yeah, I think so. We learn best through experience, which is probably why your mother let you do something like taste raw cocoa sometime when you were a kid. God knows this too, so we go through rough times. By having these rough times, we gain a better understanding of how it feels to go through certain experiences, and can better help others through a similar experience.
However, just because you know what it's like to be in a situation or to have a certain experience does not mean that someone is going to listen to you when you try to help them. Many people are stubborn and decide that they can do things on their own. They resolutely refuse to take anyone's advice, and, in turn, they must learn things the hard way. When this happens, you just have to be patient and give the person room to fall. Just be sure to be near enough that you can assist them back up and show them love and kindness. I find this especially difficult to do because I hate to see someone hurting when they could have avoided the pain, if only they'd listen to people who have "been there and done that." There's not much that can be done, though, because a person's going to do what that person wants to do, regardless of what other's try to say.