‘The Hypnotist’s Love Story’ examines complex issues of stalking

The title of “The Hypnotist’s Love Story” suggests a romance novel, but it is really a quirky, complex tale that examines the lines people cross in the name of love.

In Liane Moriarty’s 2013 novel, Ellen O’ Farrell is a hypnotherapist who takes great satisfaction in helping clients manage phobias, addictions, and difficult relationships. But she is caught off guard in her own life.

After a string of somewhat unsuccessful love affairs, she falls in love with Patrick, a handsome surveyor and widowed father of a young son. Ellen knows she will have to deal with Patrick’s grief over his deceased wife, but she gets more than she bargained for when his ex-girlfriend, Saskia, begins stalking them.

Saskia follows them on dates, leaves messages, poses as a client in need of treatment, and even breaks into Ellen’s home to leave gifts.

Ellen is intrigued, and even feels a strange kind of bond, having experienced lovers’ rejections herself. But the question remains just how far Saskia will go and what lies ahead for all of them.

As a psychologist, I was fascinated by the way the narrative focuses on the stalker. Moriarty vividly conveys the thoughts and motivations that underlie Saskia’s inability to let go of Patrick and the future she imagined for herself.

The author shows compassion for the complex factors that can motivate stalking, and tries to encourage the view that many stalkers are vulnerable individuals who can suffer profound damage to their self-worth and may resort to obsessive behavior as their only way to try to alleviate loneliness, grief, or feelings of emptiness.

However, I think it is important to remember that stalkers possess a remarkable capacity to rationalize, minimize, distort, and even excuse behaviors that are clearly intimidating.

Moreover, most stalkers typically do not suffer from hallucinations or delusions, but suffer instead with depression, substance abuse, and personality disorders.

Research conducted in the 1990s by Australian psychiatrist Paul Mullen and his colleagues proposed that stalkers fell into four categories.

■  The rejected stalker, “who has experienced the unwanted ending of a close relationship, most likely a romantic partner, but possibly also a parent, co-worker, or acquaintance.” When the stalkers’ attempts to reconcile fail, they feel inadequate, desperate and they seek revenge.

■  Intimacy seekers “will identify a person, sometimes a complete stranger, as their ‘true love’ and begin to seek contact and behave as if they are in a relationship with that partner.” Their social isolation heightens the fantasy that their love is reciprocated.

■  Incompetent stalkers, like intimacy seekers, hope to “engage the object of their affection and ultimately develop a close relationship, but acknowledge that their victim does not reciprocate this feeling.” They continue their pursuit, but in ways that are counterproductive and often frightening.

■  Finally, resentful or predatory stalkers are not seeking a relationship with their victim, but rather seek revenge for feelings of injustice, or simply to enhance feelings of power and control and alleviate their feelings of inadequacy.

Whatever the psychological underpinnings, law enforcement views it as a crime.

In an interview, Detective Dan Dooley of the Norwell Police Department emphasized that law enforcement must focus exclusively on the victims and the emotional effect of obsessive conduct aimed at them.

He pointed out that “both men and women can be the target of harassment, and it occurs not just in intimate relationships, but spans all types of interpersonal relationships.”

In all instances, Dooley said, “I would encourage any person to report instances of criminal harassment or stalking. It is important to seek assistance early, before the behavior becomes threatening or turns to physical violence.”