The OCD Whisperer Podcast with Kristina Orlova

154. Life With Harm OCD - “I Thought I Was Danger to the People I Love”

Oct 14, 2025
Guest
Maurice (Mourice Schuurmans)
In this engaging conversation, Maurice Schuurmans, an OCD survivor and co-founder of the ObsessLess app, shares his powerful journey through harm OCD. He reveals how intrusive thoughts took over his life and the struggles of misdiagnosis. Maurice discusses the transformative role of exposure and response prevention therapy, emphasizing the importance of community and the acceptance of uncertainty in recovery. His insights on the innovative ObsessLess app highlight how technology can make OCD support more accessible and effective.
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ANECDOTE

Sudden-Onset Harm OCD

  • Maurice developed sudden-onset harm OCD at 26 when intrusive thoughts about strangling a date terrified him.
  • He waited eight months for therapy while symptoms escalated and felt trapped in his living space.
ANECDOTE

Paralysis And A Father's Tough Love

  • Maurice became so immobilized by intrusive thoughts he could only sit on one chair without leaving.
  • His dad forced him into outdoor labor which helped him slowly tolerate being outside again.
ADVICE

Use ERP As First-Line Treatment

  • Do exposure and response prevention (ERP) to face fears and identify triggers, compulsions, and core fears.
  • Combine ERP with targeted therapies for trauma when needed, not EMDR for core OCD symptoms.
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