Trusting your gut vs. Challenging your gut reaction?

Do you trust your gut - or challenge your gut reaction?  That's a really good question and I don't think a single answer suffices.

I teach an online course on how to uncover and control your unconscious bias. It's a free course - you can access it here - https://humanistlearning.com/controlling-our-unconscious-bias/

I recently had a participant respond to the question - do you trust your gut or challenge your reaction. Their response was enlightening - so I am sharing it here:

"It depends. Some unconscious biases are hard wired into our genetic code and are useful tools to keep us safe and alive. I've served in the military long enough to trust my "gut," which is where I see my unconscious biases nudging me.  

However my resilience training has also taught me to take hold of that initial thought to an activating event, determine if my "gut" reaction is realistic, valid, or some type of thinking trap (e.g. bias), which then allows me to control my reaction to that thought. 

A light is shined on a potential bias, which allows me to react correctly opposed to letting my subconscious control my reactions." 

I love this. This is a perfect explanation of the role that critical thinking should play in our thinking. It is normal to react to things. It is normal to have emotional responses to things. However, it is also a good idea to acknowledge the thought and then think about whether or not that is valid.  In this way - you can choose your response to your response.

And this brings us to the graphic. Responsibility is the ability to choose your response. Thoughts?