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Denise Schor | Integrative Therapy

@deniseschor

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Somatic Therapist | HeartMath Mentor
Regulation in daily life
🌍 Online worldwide | EN • PT • ES
🏃 Run • 🧶 Make • 🌿 Feel
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“Who am I? And how did I get here?”

I’ve been on a long journey—both physically and internally. From São Paulo to England, France, Australia, India, and Mexico, I searched for something deeper… and I found it in healing.

For years, I didn’t feel like I truly belonged. It was only when I started understanding the nervous system, the impact of trauma, and the power of mind-body connection that everything changed.

Today, I help others go beyond survival mode—so they can feel safe, present, and connected again.

Swipe through to learn a little more about me!

Can you relate to this journey? Have you ever had a moment where everything changed for you? Let’s talk in the comments! by @deniseschor

Therapy without social context doesn’t work.

This is one of the first things you’ll hear when you begin a therapeutic process with me.

I’m a somatic therapist. I work with trauma, the nervous system, and the ways our experiences shape how we feel, relate, and move through the world.

And I cannot pretend that our suffering exists in isolation from the society we live in.

Trauma doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Our bodies learn fear. They learn to stay alert, to remain silent, to shrink themselves, to adapt in order to survive.

And this doesn’t happen only within our families or intimate relationships. It also happens when we live in a society that normalises violence, perpetuates racism, dehumanises LGBTQIA+ people, and holds women responsible for the violence committed against them.

A woman who has been raped may spend years believing it was her fault. That she should have said no differently, worn something else, drunk less, or behaved differently.

A Black person may learn to anticipate discrimination before even entering certain spaces.

An LGBTQIA+ person may learn to hide parts of themselves to feel safe, to be accepted, or simply to exist without fear.

These experiences don’t just live in our thoughts. They can shape our sense of safety, our relationships, our self-worth, and the way we inhabit our own bodies.

And when public figures and political movements use rhetoric that humiliates, dehumanises, or legitimises hostility towards particular groups, we cannot ignore the potential consequences for the people who have to live with those messages.

This is why I cannot separate therapy from social context.

This doesn’t mean imposing political beliefs on clients. It means recognising that suffering is not always an individual problem, that not every painful experience can be resolved through self-regulation, and that not every response of the nervous system is something that needs to be fixed within the person.

Sometimes, fear has a history.

Hypervigilance has a context.

Shame has been taught.

Silence has been a survival strategy.

*continue in the comments by @deniseschor

It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun!

It wasn’t my first trail run, but this one was definitely more challenging!

Rain, muddy trails, climbs where I’d take one step forward and slide two steps back, playing Tarzan by holding onto trees, and sliding down hills on my bum.

But somewhere in the middle of all that mud and chaos, I was reminded of how strong I am. That I can do things that scare me, adapt when things don’t go as planned, and lean on others when I need help.

It also made me think about how often we get so caught up in one goal that we forget to enjoy the journey.

In running, that might be our pace, our time, or the numbers on our watch. But this time, I completely forgot to look at mine. I was too busy navigating the terrain, figuring out my next step, and adapting to whatever came my way.

And maybe that’s what resilience is about, too.

Not just pushing through or proving how much we can endure, but adapting when things get messy, letting go of expectations, accepting support, and finding another way forward.

Sometimes, the best experiences happen when we stop trying to control everything and embrace the unexpected. 🌱

Thank you, @babi_meirelles , for the invitation! 💛 I had a blast and can’t wait for the next one! ⛰️🌿🏃🏻‍♀️ by @deniseschor

Anyone who’s had a session with me has probably heard me compare emotions to running. They’re both stressors, and running mirrors life in more ways than people expect.

This was my last race, and it didn’t go as planned. The sun was intense, and at some point I had to walk to finish feeling good rather than pushing through.

Adapting to that was one piece. But what I really want to talk about is my friend who ran with it.

She’s faster and more experienced than me. Before the race, we made an agreement: if she wanted to push ahead, that was fine, no explanation needed. That agreement alone did something, it meant neither of us had to manage the other’s expectations mid-race.

When I told her I needed to slow down, she said, “I’ll run behind you so I don’t accidentally push you.” When I started walking, she didn’t try to fix it or rush me. She stayed beside me, told me it was okay to manage it this way, and just... stayed. When I found my legs again, she was there all the way to the finish line, cheering.

None of that was dramatic. It was small, consistent signals, she’s not going anywhere, she’s not judging the pace, she’s not making her needs my problem. That’s exactly what tells our nervous system it’s safe: not grand gestures, but a steady presence that adapts to us in real time.

Co-regulation isn’t abstract. It’s someone slowing their pace to match yours, out loud, without making it a big deal. by @deniseschor

Running through 2025
12 months.
Different seasons.
Still moving. 🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️✨ by @deniseschor

Notice the little sigh at the beginning of the video?
That’s your reminder to pause, exhale, and give your nervous system a moment of regulation.

In this video I talk about the difference between top-down and bottom-up approaches and why so many of us get stuck trying to “think” our way out of stress.

Your mind needs clarity.
Your body needs safety.
Healing happens when both are speaking the same language. by @deniseschor

Ever noticed how peace can feel uncomfortable… and chaos feels “normal”?

That’s not you “self-sabotaging.”

That’s your baseline — the state your body got used to.
When calm feels unfamiliar, your system doesn’t trust it right away.

But the beautiful part is: your baseline can change.
With practice, your body learns that safety can feel soft, steady, and peaceful too.

If you’re rewiring your nervous system, be patient with yourself.

Your body is learning a new way of being. 💛
#nervoussystemregulation #heartmath #emotionalregulation by @deniseschor

Emotional presence isn’t about fixing - it’s about feeling.

When we allow ourselves to experience the unpleasant emotions, we expand our capacity to hold space for others too.

That’s empathy in its purest form. by @deniseschor

Let’s talk about progress — and what it really means to feel accomplished.

Because so often, we get caught up in one single moment, one small detail, and forget to look at the bigger picture.

This weekend, I ran a race.
My coach asked me to aim for a pace of 4:50/km.
And no — I didn’t hit it.
I ended up running a bit slower, around 5:01/km. I “broke” around the 4km mark.

And for a second, that could’ve been the whole story — the disappointment, the frustration, the “I didn’t make it.”

But then I remembered last year.
Same race.
Back then, my average pace was 5:38/km.
This year, when I “broke,” I was still holding 5:15/km.
That’s huge.

Last year, my only goal was to finish under 40 minutes — and I did.
This year, my goal was 33’51 — and I didn’t.
But when I crossed that finish line, I felt so proud. Because the progress was undeniable.

And it made me think — life is a lot like running.

In therapy, I often hear clients say, “I’ve regressed… I fell back into old patterns.”
My question is always:
How did you handle it this time? Was it better than before?
The answer is always yes.

Because progress isn’t linear.
Neither is healing.
Neither is life.

Sometimes, you just need to zoom out — to realize how far you’ve actually come.

@azon.running @vivicordom by @deniseschor

30km conquered 🏃‍♀️💫
Beyond the challenge, it’s about the love, support, and bonds built off the road. by @deniseschor

Maratona do Rio - o festival de corrida que assim como a cidade é essa mistura única de beleza e caos.

Segundo ano participando desse festival runnistico incrível, com uma assessoria que escolhi na sorte e hoje tenho certeza que foi a melhor escolha que fiz.

A corrida é hoje para mim, não só uma prática de esporte, é onde eu cuido da minha saúde, mente, corpo. É um lugar de socialização e acolhimento.

É onde eu me sinto livre. Obrigada corrida por tanto!!!

P.S. Rio, eu te amo!

🏃‍♀️ @vivicordom
💙@azon.running by @deniseschor

Great Ocean Road Running Festival getting on the feed because I can’t not even find the words to describe what was it.

I’m just so grateful for being able to run. Grateful for running in different places of the world. Grateful for having friends who run with me. Grateful for being in nature. by @deniseschor