I thought you could become a VL to enter the soul cairn then cure yourself and then move on with the Dawnguard quests. Many people have posted this. I chose the vampire side so I do not have first hand knowledge.
You don't need to be a VL to be able to enter Soul Cairn. Serena can cast a "partial soul trap" spell on you instead, and once you found her mother in the Soul Cairn, you can/should retrieve your soul in a chest inside the Soul Cairn (marked with a quest arrow). But really, with Falion in Morthal you can cure yourself at any time, and unless you have turned Serena human after helping the dawnguard vampire hunters, you should be able to turn into a VL at any time. Though Serena's mother might also be able to turn you.