Empathy: intuitive or rational?

http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/07/when-it-comes-to-empathy-your-gut-may-be-failing-you.html?mid=twitter_nymag

The premise of this article is that empathy derived from reason is more accurate than empathy derived from intuition, especially when empathizing with unfamiliar people. This rings true to me. I remember very consciously observing when I first worked in a job that required empathy.  I learned how to read people in that setting. And I think about my clients a lot now, too, especially when I am not familiar with their patterns, yet. Why else do therapists case conference and consult with supervision? 

I'm good at observing and thinking about people (and other beings), and I think some empathy processes have become automatic for me. Maybe it's a way I'm hypervigilant, something I've learned to help keep me safe. How can I protect myself from automatically empathizing when I don't need or intend to without losing the protective aspects of my reflexive empathy? How can I use this idea to support my clients in empathizing more or less? Perhaps Buddhist ideas of mindfulness, discernment, and compassion apply. In that case, filtering the empathy takes practice just like developing it did. 

            

This method of managing over-stimulation is easy to learn, but not recommended in public after toddlerhood.