Ya, instinct said the outside emotions were a bigger problem and to deal with those first. My imagination and logical brain have always interacted a little oddly (my brain can be very literal and detail oriented), so I'm picturing something slightly different than a shield. I wanted something that would still let some emotions through, because knowing me, if I visualize something that blocks all the emotions, I'd miss a bunch of cues.

I'm kind of picturing a stained glass dome, with different scenes on the panels, with little holes poked in the glass to let emotions through; and reinforced somehow so that a giant wave of emotions all at once won't shatter it. We shall see how it works out.