Hi Peggy,
I'm probably not the best person to answer your question but I'll give it a stab. Just keep in mind that I am by far not an expert here so am just speaking as to what works with me...
I think staying centered is our first line of defence as is being in the moment along with enjoying the moment for what it is...Does that make any sense? When we are aware and in the moment... yes, it opens ourselves up to our compassionate understanding of others which is great, but it can also exhaust and confuse us a bit, so we need to practice drawing some boundaries. The shield you spoke of is an excellent way to keep your boundaries.
I found this nice article on being empathetic and it too speaks of creating this shield which may help you to build your own if you so choose.
http://healing.about.com/od/empathic/a/ ... ential.htm
Strengthening your energy centers will help too. I'm glad you brought this subject up because I think I may work on this tonight as I have been a bit of a "weakie" lately and haven't given this much thought in awhile. I have this lovely set of chakra stones that Michele (11Light11) gave me a couple years ago that I can place on the corresponding chakras and work through any blocks. These stones represent Love for me... love between sisters, and in a funny kind of way love amplifies everything, even these crystals respond to the Love. I know...
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
for a lot of people that would sound strange but it makes sense when you experience the reality of it...until then, I don't mind if people think I am one sandwich short of a picnic.
Anyway, I use Light in my healing work so my shield is rather simplistic and involves Light, visualizing Divine Love surrounding me. And then I send love to whoever is ailing even if I do not know exactly the source of the "discomfort". This sort of naturally opens up communication of a sort with the "Beauty within"...so it is hard not to feel pretty darn good afterwards.
Well I hope this helps a wee bit. Perhaps someone with more experience in this area can speak a little more on this subject.
Love,
Sandy