I'm talking about a healthy emotional life, one that provides authentic happiness.

I don't think I know what you mean by "healthy emotional life" or "authentic happiness" here.

I'm not talking about emotional manipulation.

But earlier, you said to the question of simulating drugs:

Yes, so long as the competition offers something like it. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior at age 12, and it was a lasting emotional high that only recently have I been able to reproduce (at age 50).

Drugs are a direct form of emotional and cognitive manipulation, so what I mean by "simulating drugs" is to achieve something similar.

Emotions are wonderful so long as they're guided by reason.

I never claimed otherwise. I actually even value some emotions that aren't "guided by reason". But I certainly try not to let any of them in turn guide my reason.

Apparently logi has given up on the idea the transformation, meaning, and willpower are achievable without doing long-term damage to oneself.

No, I think you miss my points. One, I'm saying this stuff is totally orthogonal to what I find valuable in a rational community. This in the end must be a personal objection, but I am probably not alone in it.

Two, I'm as skeptical of the content of these "transformations" and "meanings" as I am of their drug-induced counterparts, regardless of their long-term harm or other drawbacks.

We probably share a concept of "willpower", and it's probably true that there are generally effective and sustainable techniques superior to drugs.

I totally disagree, it is possible if we just open up our thinking a little bit.

I don't know what this means.