Really good observations.
I think meditation changed the game for me. I didn't quit with AVRT/RR or any other formal program, but I recognize benefits and drawbacks of the different approaches, for me.
Meditation taught me the fleeting nature of my thoughts and the random places they go. Also it helped me be mindful of what I chose to actually spend time with, and how often in the past I would go down some negative rabbit hole of thinking, get myself all worked up - and then have to claw my way back out, sometimes days later.
Now I've learned to recognize, dismiss, move on. Very much an AVRT practice, I just don't name it. I often say to myself out loud, "Shh!" or, "Don't grab onto that!"