 A healthy insulation barrier allows a person to withstand toxic stimuli but to take in nutrient experiences.The individual with a healthy insulation barrier generally enjoys feelings of ease and wholeness within ego boundaries that are flexible and adaptive.The insulation barrier is a developmental concept that has roots in psychoanalytic theories of defense, and in humanistic psychology's respect for the self-directing capacities of human beings, as well as the developmental need for genuine I-Thou encounters.