Culture & Media
New Event: Expert Talk & Book Release with Daniel Shaw: Understanding the Allure & the Dangers of CultsThursday, June 11, 2026
6:00 PM 7:00 PM
Daniel Shaw is an award-winning psychotherapist, practicing in New York City and in Nyack. He is the author of three books on the subject of traumatic narcissism, the latest being Traumatic Narcissism Theory: A Contemporary Introduction, published in May of 2026 by Routledge.
At this talk, Dan will share excerpts from this most recent book, providing insight into the specialty of his practice and answering questions from the audience.
As a psychoanalytically trained professional, Dan has been recognized for his impactful work with cult survivors by The International Cultic Studies Association who presented him with the Margaret Thaler Singer Award for advancing awareness of coercive control and undue influence.
Reservations are required as space is limited for this event.
Dan will have copies of his new book available for purchase at the event, or you can order one online through the link below.
Get your copy here!
Group Profiles
The Panacea Society was a fascinating, highly organized millenarian religious community founded in 1919 in Bedford, England. Originally calling themselves The Community of the Holy Ghost, the group was composed primarily of affluent, middle-class Edwardian women—many of whom were war widows and former suffragettes looking for a distinct spiritual and social purpose after the trauma of the First World War.
At its height in the 1920s and 1930s, the society grew from a localized commune into an international movement with thousands of external members, bound together by unique eschatological beliefs, a global healing ministry, and an incredibly persistent public advertising campaign.
Core Origins and the 'Visitation'The theological roots of the Panacea Society rested on Southcottianism, a lineage of English prophetic tradition tracking back to Joanna Southcott (1750–1814), a self-proclaimed Devonshire prophetess. Southcott had declared that an imminent Millennium (a 1,000-year era of divine peace) was coming and that a final female spiritual avatar would appear before Christ’s return.
The Panacea Society was organized around the belief that this line of revelation, known as "The Visitation," was actively manifesting through their own leader:
- Mabel Barltrop (Octavia): The widow of an Anglican clergyman, Barltrop emerged as the group's absolute spiritual authority. Her followers identified her as the "Divine Daughter of God" and the eighth prophet of the Visitation, giving her the name Octavia.
- The Daily Script: Every evening, Octavia delivered written revelations—the "daily script"—prescribing both divine prophecy and strict, meticulous rules dictating how her followers should dress, behave, and maintain their households.
The Two Pillars of ActivityThe group is remembered historically for two massive, highly funded initiatives that reached across the globe.1. The Campaign to Open Joanna Southcott’s BoxJoanna Southcott had left behind a famous, tightly sealed wooden box containing her final prophecies. She left specific instructions that it must only be opened during a time of dire national crisis, and crucially, only in the presence of 24 bishops of the Church of England who were expected to spend days studying its contents.The Panaceans believed the chaos of WWI and the interwar period was the exact crisis Southcott foretold. They spent vast sums of money on national billboard campaigns, newspaper advertisements, and petitions demanding that the Anglican episcopate fulfill its duty. They even purchased a large property adjacent to their headquarters specifically designed to host and house the 24 bishops when they finally arrived. The bishops, however, consistently ignored the requests.
2. The Universal Healing MinistryThe society adopted the name Panacea in 1923 to reflect a healing cure they offered freely to the world to eradicate all physical and mental illness.The cure relied entirely on ordinary tap water energized by pieces of linen over which Octavia had breathed and prayed. The society shipped these small squares of linen completely free of charge to anyone who wrote to their Bedford headquarters. Recipients were told to immerse the linen in a pitcher of water to create "Water A," which they drank four times a day or diluted into bathwater ("Water B"). Remarkably, between 1924 and 2012, the society mailed out these healing packets to over 130,000 applicants across 90 countries, maintaining meticulous archives of the letters sent back by believers reporting their recoveries.
The Bedford Campus and EdenThe society acquired a series of Victorian villas along Albany Road in Bedford, creating an intentional, enclosed community campus. The members believed that Bedford was the literal, original geographic site of the Garden of Eden.Within this secure enclave, they prepared for the apocalypse with pristine domestic order. They even meticulously maintained an end-of-terrace house known as The Ark, keeping it fully furnished, empty, and ready to serve as the immediate residence for the Messiah upon the Second Coming.
Evolution into a Modern TrustFollowing Octavia's death in 1934 and the subsequent passing of her successor Emily Goodwin in 1943, the community’s resident numbers steadily dwindled. However, because early members had systematically signed over their personal wealth and real estate legacies to a formal structural framework established back in 1926, the society became extraordinarily wealthy.By the early 2000s, the society held millions of pounds in property assets but had only a single digit number of surviving members. The last resident member, Ruth Klein, passed away in 2012.Following her death, the organization officially closed its religious era and transformed into the Panacea Charitable Trust. Today, the historic campus operates as The Panacea Museum in Bedford, preserving the extensive archives of scripts, global healing correspondence, and the famous unopened box, while using its substantial endowment to fund local social initiatives and mental health services.....
The Ark
Gulf Harbour Tragedy: Inside "The Ark" and the Trial of Kaixiao Liu and Lanyue Xiao
A major trial underway in the Auckland High Court has pulled back the curtain on a secretive, isolated religious environment operating out of a residential home in Orewa, New Zealand. What began in March 2024 as a disturbing mystery—when a fisherman discovered the body of an elderly woman wrapped in plastic bags floating in Gulf Harbour—has evolved into a complex prosecution involving allegations of extreme coercive control, forced isolation, and fatal physical abuse.
The Discovery and the InvestigationOn March 12, 2024, the remains of 70-year-old Shulai Wang, who had traveled to New Zealand from China’s Hainan province in 2023, were found wrapped in layers of plastic bags.The breakthrough in the police investigation came down to the specific retail packaging used to conceal the body:• The Clue: The body was bound with black tape and enclosed in two distinct, large plastic rice bags. Garden stones had been placed inside to weigh it down.• The Paper Trail: Using the serial numbers printed on the 10-kilogram rice bags, police tracked a bulk purchase of 15 identical bags to a North Shore supermarket.• The Suspects: The bank account used for the purchase belonged to 38-year-old Kaixiao Liu. In July 2024, Liu and his wife, 38-year-old Lanyue Xiao, were arrested at Auckland Airport.Inside "The Ark"Crown prosecutors allege that Kaixiao Liu operated a high-demand, highly regimented communal home that he and his followers referred to as "The Ark."When police executed a search warrant at the Orewa residence, they uncovered a deeply insular environment. Living in the home were Liu, Xiao, their four young children, Liu's parents (Xiuyun Li, 63, and Jingui Liu, 65), and five other adult women who had moved into the home.
Key Elements of the Group's Beliefs and Dynamics• The Leadership Structure: Shulai Wang reportedly traveled to New Zealand specifically to seek "religious instruction" from Kaixiao Liu, who acted as the spiritual leader of the household.• Ethereal Worship Culture: In the years leading up to the trial, Liu heavily invested in projecting a specific spiritual identity. In the summer of 2020/2021, he hired dozens of freelance classical musicians and high-end recording studios in Auckland to record complex orchestral music he composed. Freelancers reported he described the music as an "ethereal, god-like" tool meant to "connect people across the universe." Following his initial arrest, a YouTube channel under his name continued to upload original Mandarin worship videos focusing on salvation and Jesus.• Extreme Rules and Punishment: According to Crown Prosecutor Emma Kerr's opening statement, life inside "The Ark" was governed by rigid, absolute household rules. The Crown alleges that Wang was subjected to severe discipline for allegedly breaking these rules.• The Charges: Prosecutors state that before her death, Wang suffered blunt force injuries to her head, face, and arms, was denied food, and was locked away inside a tent in the home. Four family members—Kaixiao Liu, Lanyue Xiao, and Liu's parents—now face charges of kidnapping and manslaughter.
The Intersection of Isolation and Coercive ControlFor researchers and practitioners monitoring high-demand groups, "The Ark" presents a classic text-book case of rapid isolation. By blending traditional religious themes (salvation, Christian-adjacent worship) with idiosyncratic household rules, total physical isolation from the broader New Zealand community, and severe physical punishments, the environment cross-sections how coercive control operates behind closed doors in small, family-centric high-demand cells.
References & Further Reading1. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) / Otago Daily Times (May 25, 2026): "Religious group accused of killing woman, dumping body in harbour" – Details from the High Court opening statements, the retail tracking of the rice bags, and the conditions inside "The Ark."2. Otago Daily Times / RNZ Investigation (September 18, 2024): "Body in bag accused releases Christian music videos" – Background on Kaixiao Liu’s musical projects, interviews with hired freelance orchestral musicians, and his YouTube presence.3. Matakana Coast App / NZ Herald (August 2, 2024): "Gulf Harbour body: Pair charged in relation to woman found dead in bag named" – Coverage of the initial court appearance, identification of Kaixiao Liu and Lanyue Xiao, and their arrest at Auckland Airport.
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
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