Victor Skumin



Victor Andreevich Skumin (Russian: Виктор Андреевич Скумин, born 30 August 1948) is a Russian psychologist, philosopher, and writer.

From 1980 to 1990, he was professor of psychotherapy at the Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education. The main result of his scientific activity was the discovery of the Syndrome of the neurotic phantom of somatic disease and a "concept of the mental constituent of a chronic somatic disease". From 1990 to 1994, Skumin held positions as Professor by the Chair of Psychology and Pedagogy, and Professor by the Chair of Physical Education and Health life at the State Academy of Culture. In 1994, he was elected to the post of the President-founder of the World Organisation of Culture of Health (Moscow). In 1995, Skumin became the first editor-in-chief of the journal To Health via Culture. He is known for inventing a popular term Culture of health (1968).

Besides psychiatry and psychology, Skumin writes on healthy lifestyle, yoga, and philosophy. He co-authored series of illustrated books and articles on Agni yoga, Roerichism, Russian cosmism, Transhumanism, and New Age. He wrote books of fiction and lyrics for several songs.

Biography
Victor Skumin was born on 30 August 1948 in Penza Oblast, Russia. His father, Andrew Skumin, was a MGB officer. The family many times moved from one city to another. These cities were Penza, Chelyabinsk, Petrozavodsk, Leningrad, Moscow.

Skumin studied medicine at the Kharkov National Medical University. He graduated the University in 1973 with diploma with honours.

In 1976, he became a psychotherapist in Kiev Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery. Skumin was the first to described a previously unknown disease, now it is called Skumin syndrome.

From 1980 to 1990, he has been professor of psychotherapy at the Kharkov Medical Academy of Postgraduate education. During this period Skumin investigated borderline mental disorders in chronic diseases of the digestive system in children and adolescents.

Skumin defended his doctoral thesis in Moscow at the Serbsky State Scientific Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry (1988). The Higher Attestation Commission awarded him for this research study the degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences – Dr.scient.med.. It is a higher doctoral degree in Russia.

From 1990 to 1994, Skumin held positions as Professor by the Chair of psychology and pedagogy, and Professor by the Chair of physical education and health life at the Kharkov State Academy of Culture. In 1994, Skumin became President of the World Organization of Culture of Health (WOCH) — International social movement "To Health via Culture" (Russian: Междунаро́дное обще́ственное Движе́ние «К Здоро́вью че́рез Культу́ру»). In 1995, Skumin became the first editor-in-chief of the journal To Health via Culture. This journal of the World Organisation of Culture of Health (″World Health Culture Organization″) received an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) 0204-3440. The main topics of the magazine are the dissemination of ideas of hulture of Health, holistic medicine.

In the Russian Orthodox Church the social activities of this International organization qualifies as an Ideology of the New Age.

Skumin's doctrine of the culture of health
In 1968, when Skumin was still a student, he proposed the term culture of health (Russian: Культу́ра Здоро́вья), which has become widespread. The main task of the culture of health is to do health programs that support a holistic approach to physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

The Culture of health means recognizing health’s central importance in life. Skumin referred to the works of Helena Blavatsky, Helena and Nicholas Roerich. In some of his publications, he argues that the culture of health will play an important role in the creation of a human spiritual society in the Solar System.

"The culture of health is the basic science about spiritual humanity. It studies the perspectives of harmonious development of "spiritual man" and "spiritual ethnos" as a conscious creator of the state of light into the territory of the Solar System" (by Skumin)"

The Doctrine of a culture of health, proposed by Skumin, the culture – spiritual, mental, and physical – determines the status of human health. And health – spiritual, mental, physical – is a prerequisite for achieving a higher level of culture.

Skumin syndrome


Skumin syndrome (Russian:Синдром Скумина) was described by Skumin in 1978 as a "cardioprosthetic psychopathological syndrome", associated with mechanical heart valve implant and manifested by irrational fear, anxiety, depression and sleep disorder. This syndrome is often accompanied by asthenia.

Alain Carpentier – a member of the French Academy of Sciences and the head the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou in Paris – believed in 2011 that Skumin syndrome develops in a quarter of the patients with an artificial heart valve. It is possible that a similar problem arises in the conduct of operations to implement an artificial heart.

International news agency RIA Novosti wrote about this problem (2014),

"Victor Skumin, our domestic scientist, described "cardioprosthetic psychopathologic syndrome", which entered the textbooks as "Skumin syndrome". The human mind is constantly fixed on the motor is running. For example, in contrast to prosthetic of teeth, arms or legs, it is not possible to divert attention of human from the sounds of functioning implant in his body. Person is constantly waiting for a suddenly the motor will stop? In the human heart the pain gives signals. Here there is no pain and can not to be. In the future, probably, there will be heart prostheses, imitating his heartbeat. But they will not be hurt, and Skumin syndrome will continue to hang over the human psyche with a heart valve prosthesis."

Skumin mind control method


In 1979, Skumin created a special modification of mind control method for psychological rehabilitation of patients. This method is based on autogenic training. Autogenic training is a relaxation technique developed by the psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz. He emphasized parallels to techniques in yoga and meditation. It is a method for influencing one's autonomic nervous system. The technique involves the daily practice of sessions that last around 15 minutes, usually in the morning, at lunch time, and in the evening. During each session, the practitioner will repeat a set of visualisations that induce a state of relaxation. Each session can be practiced in a position chosen amongst a set of recommended postures.

The technique of the Skumin mind control method (Russian: "Психотре́нинг по Ску́мину") involves the use of two standard postures: sitting meditation and lying down meditation. This method of psychotraining includes five psychological exercises: the first is "the relaxation", the second one is "the warming", the third one is "the zero gravity", the fourth one is "the target autosuggestion", and the fifth exercise is "the psychological activation". Each session contain explanation of the theory and practice of each new exercise as it is reached. The therapeutic effect is achieved by the neutralization of traumatic emotional experiences and the progressive reorganization of the psychic structures to include previously unacceptable mental contents, too. This method of psychotherapy has found application in medical practice, in particular in the treatment of phobias, headaches, etc.

Skumin’s mixture
Skumin proposed mixture subsequently named after him. Skumin’s mixture (Russian: Миксту́ра Ску́мина) is a medicine with a sedative effect, affecting the central nervous system.

It is used to treat Skumin syndrome, light forms of heart failure, anxiety and sleep disorders, and asthenia. The medicine is known to be well tolerated, with no contra-indications, except sensitivity. The formula contains Adonis vernalis, Crataegus, Valerian root, Leonurus cardiaca, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Rose hip.

Selected works
Victor Skumin wrote many books and articles on a variety medical and spiritual topics advocating a holistic approach to health. He is the author or co-author of a series illustrated books on the culture of health, yoga, Roerich’s philosophy.



He is the author of music and lyrics of several songs. Among them:
 * Anthem "To Health via Culture". The anthem consists of four stanzas. The capital letters each of the four stanzas form the word Agni (Vedic Fire God).

Trivia

 * According to a study conducted in 2015 Skumin was included in Russia team on medicine. This list includes fifty-three famous Russian medical scientists from the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Empire who were born in 1757—1950. Physicians of all specialities listed here. Among them Vladimir Bekhterev, Sergei Korsakoff, Ivan Pavlov, Ivan Sechenov.
 * In the online poll The Name of Russia, completed in 2017, Skumin by a wide margin is on first position in the section "The Glory of Russia". Also in the top 10 leaders in The Glory of Russia are Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Alexander Pushkin, Joseph Stalin (Jughashvili). At the same time Skumin is on fifteenth position in the section "The Shame of Russia". Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Berezovsky are in fourteenth and sixteenth positions in this list, and on the top of the rating "The Shame of Russia" are Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin.