I read the Ehrenreich book in 2020, when I would have still said that I believed in Something, and I found it moving and affirming. It'd be fascinating to read it again now and see what I make of it, because I no longer believe in Something, and I suspect my positive feelings toward the book reflect the moment I was in?

I totally agree with you about it being dissociation - and I'd be interested to reread with that in mind too. I know I found the idea of dissociation as a gift rather than a burden 100% novel and something I wanted to think about. I'm not sure I ever did?