Healing from Emotional, Anger, and Relational Trauma Educational Support Group

 Start Date: Monday, September 28, 2026

Schedule: Mondays at 12:30 PM ET and Wednesdays at 7:30 PM ET (Ongoing, with scheduled breaks)
Platform: Zoom (Link provided upon registration)

Group Overview

Offered by Queens Long Island Community Services (QLICS), this educational support group provides a safe space for former cult members and anyone seeking to recover from relational harm. Facilitated by Dr. Paul Engel, DHL, LCSW, and supported by dedicated QLICS staff, the group helps participants gather, build community, and develop actionable strategies to integrate meaningful change into their lives.

Core Focus Areas

• Emotional Regulation: Learning to cope more effectively with anger and intense emotions.
• Understanding Manipulation: Navigating the impacts of coercive control, traumatic narcissism, and gaslighting.
• Healing & Recovery: Navigating grief, practicing forgiveness, and releasing yourself from emotional pain.

Registration & Contact Information

• Registration: Access the sign-up page.
• Email Contact: paul.engel@flushingjcc.net
• Phone Contact: 516-547-4318

The US premiere of A Maternal Exorcism

The US premiere of A Maternal Exorcism will be staged in Nashville and L.A.

Zoe Lambert performs her award-winning solo show at 7 pm on the 27th of June 2026 at The Filming Station, 501 8th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203.

Then she takes her show to L.A., where you can see a second performance on the 9th of July 2026, 7.30 pm at The Fanatic Salon, 3815 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Tickets are free/donate at the door. Call 615-400-5620 for more info.

At 41, Zoe Lambert is not an alcoholic. Just emotionally dependent on cheap whisky. Reeling from her mother’s death, she unpicks a life’s work as a carer and her strict religious upbringing as a Jehovah's Witness, which she swore she had left behind.

​Adapted from her memoir in progress, A Maternal Exorcism premiered in Montreal in 2025 before winning the UK 2025 Bay Fringe Festival’s award for ‘Best Local Theatre’.

Both hilarious and heartbreaking, A Maternal Exorcism sheds light on the lingering impact of coercive control and religious trauma in a high-control group.

“A passionate and gripping piece of theatre,” Lancashire Post (UK).

Zoe says, “How do you write a love letter to your dead mother when all you want is to shout at her? This show is for anyone who has experienced the confusion of conditional love or coercive control. Or wondered what life is like for the JW who knocks on your door”.

​Zoe Lambert is a writer and lecturer at Lancaster University (UK). Her short stories have been widely published in the UK, including her collection, The War Tour (Comma Press). Brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness, she is now a board member of the International Cultic Studies Association.

The show is brought to the US by Ken Bernstein of CK Productions, who just earned his master's in the Psychology of Coercive Control at The University of Salford, and premiered Steve Earle’s Karla, Jeremy Child’s Vampire Monologues, and Bruce Arnston’s The Doyle and Debbie Show and Petrie.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/17/2026

Updates

Editor's Note: Recognizing High-Control Groups

Stories about cults and high-control groups often raise an important question: How do intelligent, capable people become involved in organizations that later prove harmful?

Researchers who study cults note that recruitment is rarely based on deception alone. Many groups initially offer friendship, purpose, a sense of belonging, spiritual growth, or answers to life's difficult questions. Concerns typically arise when a group begins to discourage independent thinking, isolate members from family and friends, demand unquestioning loyalty to a leader, control access to information, or use fear and guilt to maintain compliance.

While not every unconventional religious or social movement is a cult, it is wise to evaluate any organization by its actions rather than its claims. Healthy groups generally welcome questions, respect personal boundaries, allow members to leave freely, and encourage relationships outside the organization.

As readers encounter news reports about cults and high-control groups, a thoughtful and informed approach can help distinguish legitimate communities from organizations that may exert undue control over their members.

New Events

Coercive Control Masters Webinar 

Saturday, June 20  •  1 PM - 2 PM EDT | Eventbrite

Webinar about the Psychology of Coercive Control and the dedicated online Master's Program running this September!

Join this special 1-hour webinar to learn more about the psychology of coercive control and the only dedicated full master's program on this subject, which focuses on coercion, abuse, and undue influence in cults and extremist groups, intimate relationships (domestic abuse) and families, trafficking, gangs, workplaces, and organized crime.

This fully distance learning programme (at the University of Salford, UK) was started in 2017 by Drs Rod and Linda Dubrow-Marshall because of the introduction of a law in 2015 (Serious Crime Act, Section 76, in England and Wales) which outlaws psychological abuse in the form of controlling and coercive behaviours in relationships and families, along with human trafficking and modern slavery laws which apply to cults, extremist groups and organised crime. Similar laws are now emerging in other jurisdictions (across North America, Europe, and Australasia), reflecting a burgeoning appreciation of coercive control and its damaging effects.

The Master's program draws on these developments by bringing in cutting-edge research on coercive influence and focuses on the psychological effects of coercive control, how people exit from coercive and abusive relationships and groups, approaches to recovery and rehabilitation, the cultural and historical context for coercion, and legal and policy responses across the world.

The program still has places for this coming September 2026. It can be studied over 1 or 2 years and consists of live lectures (also recorded), interactive seminars, 1:1 tutor support, loads of resources via a dedicated website, and the opportunity to conduct ground-breaking empirical research in the capstone dissertation module. The program has already had over 150 students from a wide diversity of countries across four continents, some of whom are existing professionals in the field and others who are looking to do work in this area where there is a huge need for more expertise and more research."

Ongoing Focus

CNS: Zizian attempted murder suspects obtain new counsel and trial date

A Superior Court judge granted new representation for one of two Zizian defendants, while the other will be tried for competency in March.

Suri Dao and Alexander Jeffrey are members of the Zizians, a loosely organized, cult-like group of radical vegans who claim artificial intelligence poses a threat to humanity. The two are among about 10 known followers of blogger Jack “Ziz” LaSota, a 34-year-old transgender woman who moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2016.

The group has been linked to six killings nationwide, including Lind’s death. Fellow Zizian Maximilian Snyder is accused of fatally stabbing Lind in Vallejo on Jan. 17, 2025. Lind had been scheduled to testify in Dao and Leatham’s case. Snyder has pleaded not guilty, and his preliminary hearing is set for April 21.

LaSota, a former aspiring tech worker, moved to the Bay Area to study the risks posed by artificial intelligence and later built a following among AI theorists and tech bloggers for her extreme views on AI, veganism, and gender.

Group Profile

The Zizians

The "Zizians" is a fringe offshoot of the Silicon Valley rationalist community that has become the focus of intense investigation by federal and state law enforcement following multiple violent incidents across the United States.

Because they operate as a loose network rather than a formalized group, the name "Zizians" was applied by outside bloggers and investigators based on the online handle of their central figure.

1. Origins and Nature of the Group

• Core Background: The group consists primarily of young, highly intelligent computer scientists, data scientists, and tech workers in their 20s and 30s. Several members have past employment ties to major Silicon Valley tech companies, including Google.

• Structure: They do not consider themselves an official organization, nor do they use the label "Zizians" internally. They have functioned as a highly insular, nomadic collective, moving between communal arrangements, including a half-submerged tugboat (part of what they termed the "Rationalist Fleet") in Pillar Point Harbor near San Jose, box trucks/trailers, and leased duplexes in North Carolina.

• Key Figure: Jack Amadeus “Ziz” LaSota (34), a transgender woman blogger originally from Alaska who moved to the Bay Area in 2016. LaSota has been identified by law enforcement and media as the group's ideological leader, though the network rejects formal leadership structures.

2. Ideology and Psychological Practices

The group combines extreme interpretations of Rationalism and Effective Altruism (EA) with radical political and biological beliefs.

• Vegan Anarchotranshumanism: They view animal consumption as a severe, unforgivable ethical violation. Their philosophy prioritizes the preservation of sentient life against existential threats, with a specific focus on the alignment and risks of artificial intelligence (AI).

• Timeless Decision Theory (TDT): Rooted in an extreme interpretation of a rationalist decision-making framework, they believe individuals must resolutely oppose perceived moral wrongs or societal norms, sometimes justifying extreme or anti-social actions to achieve what they view as a greater moral good.

• Brain Hemisphere Gendering & "Debucketing": LaSota popularized the psychological theory that the left and right hemispheres of the human brain contain entirely separate personalities, often with distinct genders and conflicting interests. They practiced "debucketing," a process intended to liberate these personas from societal constraints.

• Unihemispheric Sleep (UHS): Members attempted to induce a state of sleep deprivation where only one hemisphere of the brain sleeps at a time. This dangerous sleep-jailbreaking practice was intended to heighten dedication to their cause, but it has been linked to severe psychological distress and at least one member's suicide in 2018.

3. Timeline of Alleged Violent Incidents

Law enforcement has linked associates of the group to six deaths across three states spanning 2022 to 2025:

• November 2022 (Vallejo, CA): An 80-year-old landlord, Curtis Lind, was brutally attacked and stabbed over 50 times with a sword during a dispute over unpaid rent at a property where members were staying. Lind survived this initial attack. An associate of the group, Emma Borhanian, was killed during the altercation.

• December 2022 / January 2023 (Chester Heights, PA): Richard and Rita Zajko (aged 72 and 69) were shot and killed in their suburban Philadelphia home. Their daughter, Michelle Zajko, was linked to the Zizians and questioned, though not immediately charged. She was later arrested alongside LaSota.

• January 20, 2025 (Coventry, VT): A routine traffic stop 20 miles from the Canadian border escalated into a fatal shootout. U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland (44) was killed. A Zizian associate, Ophelia Bauckholt, was also killed in the exchange, and a second member was taken into custody.

• January 2025 (Vallejo, CA): Landlord Curtis Lind was attacked a second time and killed. Data scientist Maximilian Snyder was arrested and charged in connection with the murder.

Sources and References

1. The Guardian: “Killings across three states shine spotlight on cultlike 'Zizian' group” (Feb 15, 2025). Details on the background of tech workers, the tugboat in Pillar Point Harbor, and the Vermont shootout involving Agent David Maland.

2. WBUR / NPR (On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti): “Who are the Zizians?” (June 30, 2025). Featuring investigative journalist Max Read (Read Max Substack) and AI researcher Sonia Joseph. Direct coverage of the dual-hemisphere brain theories, "debucketing," the murder of the Zajko couple in Delaware County, PA, and the Silicon Valley rationalist roots.

3. Associated Press / WHYY:“Cultlike Zizian group linked to multiple murders” (Feb 2025). Documentation of FBI searches in Chapel Hill, NC, the insular behavior of members (wearing long black coats, driving box trucks containing stretchers), and the timeline of the cross-country investigation.

4. Wikipedia: “Zizians”. Summary of the group's adherence to "vegan anarchotranshumanism," Timeless Decision Theory, unihemispheric sleep attempts, and public statements from the House Committee on Homeland Security regarding the death of Agent Maland.  

AI Research Disclosure: To bring you the most relevant stories, parts of this newsletter utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to search the web, source articles, and assist with content curation. This content is for informational purposes only; we recommend verifying critical facts independently.

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families in making the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

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The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly or Ashlen Hilliard endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

WORKSHOP: Building bridges across worldviews: A collaborative approach to addressing a loved-one’s cult-related involvement for families and clinicians

ICSA International Conference 2026
WORKSHOP: Building bridges across worldviews: A collaborative approach to addressing a loved-one’s cult-related involvement for families and clinicians

Date: Wed, 1 July
Time: 09:00 – 18:00, PDT
Location: Room 1 (313)
Hilton Bayfront, San Diego, USA

Session summary
An interactive full-day workshop for families and professionals exploring practical, ethical, and trauma-informed approaches to supporting loved ones involved in cultic groups while improving communication, reducing conflict, and building mutual understanding across differing worldviews.

Full Abstract
This all-day workshop is designed for both professionals and families, regardless of their loved one’s level of involvement in a cultic group. It is intended for parents of long-term members, families of individuals who have recently joined a group, and those who have encountered challenges during intervention efforts.

Participants will benefit from the combined expertise of intervention specialists, mental health professionals, and researchers, who will share practical insights and perspectives throughout the session. The workshop will be interactive and discussion-based, encouraging active participation and engagement.

Topics may include:
*Assessing a family’s unique situation
*Why individuals join and leave groups
*Understanding psychological manipulation and abuse
*The importance of accurate, objective, and up-to-date information
*Ethical considerations
Assessing the level of group involvement
*Effective communication strategies with loved ones
*Developing healthier coping mechanisms
*Navigating mental health challenges
*The neurobiology of trauma
*Epistemology and belief formation
*Problem-solving techniques
*Formulating constructive support strategies

The workshop will also explore how families and group members can better understand each other’s perspectives regarding the conflicts that divide them. Participants will examine strategies to improve communication, reduce conflict, negotiate mutual behavioral changes that decrease tension, and identify common ground while respecting differences in order to preserve important relationships.


Facilitators:
Rachel Bernstein LMFT, MSEd (Presenting) bernsteinlmft@gmail.com
IndoctriNation Podcast, Encino, CA, USA


Natalie Fabert Ph.D., L.P. (Presenting) natalie.fabert.phd@gmail.com
Institution Arizona State University, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion, Walnut Creek, CA, USA

Erin Falconer PhD, MSc, LMSW drerinfalconer@pm.me
Refuge Psychotherapy, LCSW, PLLC, New York, NY, USA

Joseph Kelly BA (Presenting) joekelly411@gmail.com
Cult Mediation/Intervention 101, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Patrick Ryan BA
pryan19147@gmail.com
Cult Mediation/Intervention 101, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Doni Whitsett PhD, LCSW, MFT (Presenting) whitsett@usc.edu
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

https://internationalculticstudies.org/events/building-bridges-across-worldviews-a-collaborative-approach-to-addressing-a-loved-ones-cult-related-involvement-for-families-and-clinicians/

CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/5/2026

Culture & Media

New Event: Expert Talk & Book Release with Daniel Shaw: Understanding the Allure & the Dangers of Cults

Thursday, 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

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 Activity

The group is remembered historically for two massive, highly funded initiatives that reached across the globe.

1. The Campaign to Open Joanna Southcott’s Box

Joanna 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 Ministry

The 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 Eden

The 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 Trust

Following 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 Investigation

On 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 Control

For 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 Reading

1. 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

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly or Ashlen Hilliard endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.