Igor Viktorovich Smirnov (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Абакумов Игорь Викторович, Смирнов Игорь Викторович) (April 5, 1951 – November 5, 2004) was a controversial

scientist best known for his role in Soviet-era

mind control Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashin ...

research as well as an obscure field of human behavior study he called "psychoecology". He was a son of Soviet Minister of State Security

Viktor Abakumov Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov (russian: link=no, Виктор Семёнович Абакумов; 24 April 1908 – 19 December 1954) was a high-level Soviet security official from 1943 to 1946, the head of SMERSH in the USSR People's Commissari ...

, who was executed for his role in

Josef Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

's political repressions.

Career

Smirnov has been characterized in the media as a

Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...

-like character with "almost mystical powers of persuasion". According to his wife Rusalkina, the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

military enlisted Smirnov's psychotechnology in the 1980s to combat the

Mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...

and treat

post-traumatic stress syndrome Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

in Russian soldiers during the

war in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...

. Smirnov's background included military research, and the care of drug addiction and mental illness. He founded the Psychotechnology Research Institute at the

Peoples' Friendship University of Russia The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (russian: Российский университет дружбы народов), also known as RUDN University and, until 1992, Patrice Lumumba University in honor of the hero Patrice Lumumba, is a ...

to work on ideas like "psychocorrection", a term he used to denote the use of subliminal messages to alter a subject's will, or even modify a person's personality without their knowledge. The Institute caught the attention of Chris Morris and

Janet Morris Janet Ellen Morris (born May 25, 1946) is an American author of fiction and nonfiction, best known for her fantasy and science fiction and her authorship of a non-lethal weapons concept for the U.S. military. Background Writing Janet Morris be ...

who were reportedly attempting to sell technology to the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. The

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

consulted Smirnov regarding the

Waco Siege The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the law enforcement siege of the compound that belonged to the religious sect Branch Davidians. It was carried out by the U.S. federal government, Texas state law enforcement, and the U.S. mi ...

in 1993. Smirnov proposed piping subliminal messages from sect members' families through the phone lines during negotiations so as to effect the surrender of

David Koresh David Koresh (; born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was an American cult leader who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993. As the head of the Branch Davidians, a religious sect and offshoot of the Davidian Sev ...

, however the FBI declined the plan. Smirnov died in November 5, 2004, leaving his wife to run the Institute. In May 2009, the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

announced plans to award a contract for testing of an airport screening system based partly on Smirnov's concepts to ManTech SRS Technologies in association with Northam Psychotechnologies, a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

company acting as distributor for the Psychotechnology Research Institute.

Published works

Books

* I.V. Smirnov, E. Beznosyuk, A. Suravlyev, ''Psychotechnologies'', 416 pages –M.:

Progress Publishers Progress Publishers was a Moscow-based Soviet publisher founded in 1931. Publishing program Progress Publishers published books in a variety of languages: Russian, English, and many other European and Asian languages. They issued many scientific b ...

1995

Articles

* Smirnov I.V., Kvasovets S.V., Fedorenko V.N. "Principles of Psycho-probing // Reports of information." The collection of abstracts VIMI. Publication N 11.90.9.39, î., 1990, With. 101–109. * Smirnov I.V., Beznosjuk E.V. "Diagnostics and correction using Psycho-semantic methods. Sb. Scientific. Works for non-medicinal therapy of diagnostics and correction of health." MMA him. Setchenov, î., 1993. * Smirnov I.V., Beznosjuk E.V. "Computer psychoanalysis and psychotherapy." ''Journal of Medical Help'' N 4, 1994. * Smirnov I.V., Beznosjuk E.V. "Method of not subconscious psychotherapy, Psycho-correction and Psycho-semantic analysis with subthreshold introduction of the information." ''Journal Psychotherapy of Russia'', N 3, 1994. * Smirnov I.V., Beznosjuk E.V. "Computer Psychotechnologies of the semantic analysis of the unconscious." ''Russian Psycho Analysis Bulletin'', N 3, 1994.

References

External links

Northam Psychotechnologies
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Video * (Interview from Smirnov I.) * (Interview from Smirnov I.) * (Interview from wife Smirnov I. Misses Rusalkina Elena) {{DEFAULTSORT:Smirnov, Igor Russian psychologists Soviet inventors 1951 births 2004 deaths People of the Federal Security Service People of the KGB Russian military doctors Russian academicians Parapsychologists I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University alumni