“Be brave by being soft” (c) Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen Soft doesn’t mean “weak”.  We are conditioned to harden ourselves when entering a situation associated with discomfort… Hard, however, doesn’t protect us, as much as numbs us and limits our choices.  We can do the “turtle” by shrinking ourselves and waiting till the danger is over.. We can tense up our muscles trying to appear bigger than we are – intimidating the enemy… even attack and bite them first. It is however not a grounded state. In order to avoid pain or danger, we leave ourselves behind. This is the pathway toward dissociation. Also, we are highly reactive and very likely to go…