Marian Thompson, LCSW, SEP

Marian Thompson, LCSW, SEP Reach out if you have any questions about my services.

Through Somatic Experiencing (SE) and relationship counseling, I help my clients heal from their old relationship wounds so that they can be present and connected in their current relationships.

01/05/2026

I have over 1000 followers! Here's a little bit about my journey. Did I mention that I'm an introvert?

Being on social media has brought up a lot for me over the past year. But listening to my body, coming back to my center, observing, riding the wave of expansion and contraction. All of these things helped me get through it!

If you're interested in a more somatic approach to therapy, I have a few spots available in the new year ✨✨

Happy happy new year!!

As a somatic experiencing practitioner, I see this all the time: people carrying losses they were never given permission...
12/08/2025

As a somatic experiencing practitioner, I see this all the time: people carrying losses they were never given permission to grieve.

These aren't the losses that come with rituals or casseroles. They're the quiet ones—the life that didn't unfold the way you imagined, the parts of yourself you had to let go of to move forward, the dreams that closed when other doors opened.

And because no one acknowledges them, we often don't either. We just keep moving. But the body keeps score.

In somatic work, we locate where that grief lives in the body. We create space for it to be felt, witnessed, and allowed to move through—not intellectualized or rushed, but honored with the tenderness it deserves.

Because acknowledging the grief is often what sets us free. It's what allows transformation. It pulls us out of feeling stuck and opens us back up to what's actually possible in the life we have now.

It won't look like you thought it would. But it can still be extraordinary.

12/02/2025

Before we dive into anything heavy, I invite you to slowly turn your head and look around the room.
Notice the colors and textures. See where your eyes naturally want to land.

This simple practice helps you arrive—to come into the present moment and into your body.

It's also a way of signaling safety to your nervous system. When we're in fight-or-flight, we often get tunnel vision. By looking around, we're gently reminding your system: "I'm safe in this moment."

Sometimes your eyes will land on something that feels grounding—a color, a picture, a texture. We'll remember that. Later, when things get more intense, we can come back to it as a resource.

Everyone's nervous system is different, and this practice can affect people in different ways. That's what I love about Somatic Experiencing—there's no rigid protocol. We stay curious together about how these invitations land for you. We add resources, adjust as we go, and follow what your system needs.

Safety in therapy is co-created, moment by moment. And it starts when you walk in the door.

11/01/2025

That clenched jaw. The 0-to-100 reactions.

The way you slam cabinets harder than you meant to or snap at the people you love.

These might be signs of an incomplete fight response—your nervous system still braced for a threat that's long past.

Often it starts when fighting back or expressing anger wasn't safe. Maybe in childhood or during a threatening situation where you had to disown your natural defensive response.

You learned that fighting back meant more danger— or that it made no difference at all. So you pushed it down, made yourself smaller.

Your nervous system adapted to survive. But it also learned to stay ready. It turned up the sensitivity dial and never turned it back down.

Years later, you find yourself bracing—even when you're safe.

Your jaw clenches without you realizing. A minor frustration activates your whole system. There's heat and energy with nowhere to go.

Your body is trying to complete something it started a long time ago.

When we work with it somatically, we're not trying to suppress or "fix" this response. We're helping your nervous system learn new patterns—practicing activation with safety.

This might look like:

Noticing where fight energy shows up in your body - where does it begin?

Exploring small, safe movements that engage your fight response in a regulated way (like squeezing and releasing)

Helping your body remember that it's safe to feel your own power—that anger can move through you without being dangerous

Your anger isn't a problem to solve. It's a protective response that needs updating with new learning.

So many of us carry hypervigilant fight responses. You're not alone in this.

Your nervous system is wired to catch threat, not pleasure.That's not a flaw — it's biology.But it means you have to pra...
10/24/2025

Your nervous system is wired to catch threat, not pleasure.

That's not a flaw — it's biology.

But it means you have to practice letting the good land in your body, not just your mind.

Swipe to learn why + how to actually do it. 💛

Hoberman sphere By Pasimi - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69639178

10/09/2025

Your body knows before your brain starts negotiating.

That automatic step back. The way your chest tightens. The bracing. The hand that comes up while you're talking and you don't even even realize it.

These aren't rude - they're information. Your nervous system is doing exactly what it's supposed to do: protecting you.

These are signs of what we call healthy aggression - they are connected to your life force. Ignore them for too long and you risk getting stuck on “on”, (feeling anxious all the time), or stuck on “off” (feeling depleted)

The work isn't overriding these signals to be 'nicer.' The work is learning to sense into them and trust them, so that you have choice in how to respond.

Somatic Experiencing helps you reconnect with these body signals so you can honor your boundaries before you're completely burnt out.

What does YOUR body do when a boundary is being crossed?

Shame spirals aren’t something you “think” your way out of. What shifted me wasn’t making another list of what I’ll do b...
10/03/2025

Shame spirals aren’t something you “think” your way out of. What shifted me wasn’t making another list of what I’ll do better — it was pausing, noticing my body, allowing the emotion to complete, bringing in compassion and gentle movement.

This is what I teach my clients every day, and sometimes I need the reminder myself.

Thinking about Somatic Experiencing but not sure what it actually involves?This FAQ answers the most common questions I ...
10/03/2025

Thinking about Somatic Experiencing but not sure what it actually involves?

This FAQ answers the most common questions I hear from people in Austin who are curious about SE—from what happens in a session to how it's different from talk therapy, and whether it might be right for your healing journey.

Swipe through for quick answers, then click here for the full blog post.
https://marianwthompson.com/blog/somatic-experiencing-in-austin/

09/24/2025

If you feel constantly on edge, here's what you need to know:

Your nervous system is doing its job - it's trying to predict the future in order to keep you safe.

That constant feeling of being "on edge"? That jumpiness when someone walks up behind you? The way your heart races when you tell a story even though you thought you were "over it" by now?

It's might not be "just anxiety" and you're definitely not "too sensitive."

Your body's early warning system got REALLY good at keeping you safe. But now it needs new information that you're actually okay.

This is why understanding your trauma mentally isn't enough. Your nervous system holds the memories, and it needs body-based healing to update its safety database.

If you've done years of talk therapy but still feel stuck in hypervigilance, you're not broken - you just need a different approach.

I help exhausted women and moms who've outgrown talk therapy find more resilience and calm through somatic therapy so that they can show up the way they want to be in their relationships


If you've ever been told to 'calm down' or felt like your emotions are too big, this is for you.You're not 'too much.' Y...
09/18/2025

If you've ever been told to 'calm down' or felt like your emotions are too big, this is for you.

You're not 'too much.' You're maxed out.

When you're busy juggling kids and family and pouring your heart into your work, your nervous system can get stuck in overdrive.

Those 'overreactions' you feel guilty about? They make perfect sense when we understand what's happening in your body.

Chronic stress and past experiences can overwhelm our capacity to manage life’s ups and downs.  

We snap at our loved ones without meaning to or we shut down during difficult conversations or avoid them altogether.  We find ourselves agreeing to things that drain us because setting boundaries feels impossible.

The beautiful thing? Regulation is a skill, not a personality trait. Your body can learn to feel safe again.  We can build more capacity for you to show up as the person you want to be. 

If talk therapy helped your mind but you're still dealing with physical symptoms – the racing heart, the tension, the overwhelm that lives in your body – somatic work might be the missing piece.

Ready to build more capacity to handle life's challenges? I offer 1:1's. Send me a message through my website if you're in Texas 💙

09/08/2025

Do "small things" send you into a panic, then leave you completely drained for hours?

Chronic stress and unprocessed trauma can push you outside your window of tolerance - that sweet spot where you feel calm yet alert, able to handle life's challenges without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down.

A healthy nervous system naturally moves between activation and settling throughout the day. But when we're stuck in survival mode, we lose this natural rhythm.

This is where Somatic Experiencing comes in. Our work together focuses on retraining your nervous system little by little, helping you experience small, manageable amounts of activation in a safe space so you can learn to settle again.

The Smoveys you see here are one of many tools we can explore together. Filled with ball bearings, they create interesting vibrations and textures that some people find helpful for gentle activation while staying connected to body sensations. Will always follow what feels right for your nervous system.

If it feels too hard to track your body or slow down and be present with what you're feeling, tools like these can offer a gentle bridge back to embodied awareness.

Your nervous system can heal. You don't have to keep missing out on connections, opportunities, and joy because your body is stuck in protection mode.

Your stomach drops when you hear that disappointed tone. Your whole body braces for criticism. That's not just sensitivi...
09/03/2025

Your stomach drops when you hear that disappointed tone. Your whole body braces for criticism. That's not just sensitivity—it's information and wisdom from your body.

Here's what's actually happening when you feel an emotion:

Step 1: You take in stimulus from your environment Step 2: Your body responds first (heart rate changes, muscles tense, breathing shifts) Step 3: Your mind  interprets and names: fear, sadness, joy

Your emotions begin in your body first.

Your nervous system is constantly learning to keep you safe by connecting what's happening now to what happened before.  It remembers every threat and says "Hey, this feels familiar!"

This is why your body might react to your boss's tone the same way it did to criticism in childhood. Your nervous system isn't being dramatic—it's doing its job.

The key is learning not to override when your body speaks. Somatic work gives you space to feel those big feelings, hold difficult memories, AND remember you're safe in the present moment.

It creates the opportunity for something new to happen.

Ready to learn more about honoring your body's messages?  contact me through my website. I offer 1:1's if you're in Texas.




Address

1221 W Ben White Boulevard, Suite 108A
Austin, TX
78704

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3:45am
Tuesday 9am - 3:45pm
Wednesday 9am - 3:45pm
Thursday 9am - 3:45pm
Friday 9am - 3:45pm

Telephone

+15125405854

Website

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