Our AchievementsOur Taganrog Experience 1�5th December 2012
We began our journey on 29th November so that we could arrive a day early to help Sasha and Galina prepare for the Conference. It was a long journey with delays in Moscow due to the snow but it gave us the opportunity to sample the world�s most expensive cappuccino in the airport restaurant. Not yet having mastered the Russian currency, we spent �18 on 2 coffees, fortunately they were the best cappuccinos we have had outside of Italy so we didn�t mind so much, but we were tempted to lick the insides of the cups to get our moneys worth! Eventually the four of us (Me, Joe, Sonia and Sigyta) arrived in Taganrog, very late and Sasha and Galina told us we would be met by a taxi driver with a sign saying �SCENAR�. Yes someone with a SCENAR sign did meet us, but he did not look like a taxi driver, and neither did the 2 very young girls, in stilettos and short skirts - Joe thought Sasha had sent him a special welcome gift!! What followed was the most bizarre journey from the airport to the hotel, the driver spent most of the time looking at the girls instead of the road, and the car was moving all over the road, it was pitch black so we could not see where we were going so you can imagine our relief when finally we saw the hotel!
The following day, preparations were made for the conference, and we settled in to the hotel. A few of us went for a walk to get some snacks and water from a local shop and had an amusing incident where we were about to buy some big bottles of water and when we got to the cashier, Joe said, why is the water bright blue? The cashier did not speak English so I gestured to her to ask her if it was water, and she gestured back telling us that it was anti-freeze for the car! Drinking that could have been a disaster even SCENAR couldn�t cure!!
By the evening most guests had arrived andwe all met at the restaurant down the road. It was an amazing thing, because at the beginning of the meal, everyone was shy and a little nervous because we did not know each other, but as usual, Sasha and Galina made us forget our fears and after introductions, and of course several bottles of Vodka, we were all the best of friends, as if we had known each other forever!
December 1st
The following morning, after breakfast the conference began. The conference room was perfect, and the room began to fill up with all the guests. We had Champagne to greet everyone with and it became clear at once that this was going to be an event that we would all remember forever. The guests came from 14 different countries, everyone representing SCENAR in their own country.
The conference opened with Alexander Revenko (the creator of SCENAR workshops and seminars) telling us the story of how it all began, he shared his memories of the first school and the first students, and explained the history of the school from 1992 to 2012. As usual, Sasha entertained us with amusing anecdotes!
The next part of the conference was dedicated to the "pioneers" of the SCENAR movement: the first teachers - Peter Kruglov and Sergei Pobokin; the family of Yura Gorfinkel; the first director of the first SCENAR Centre - Alexander Kripakov; the first engineers, without whom SCENAR seminars simply would not exist - Max Zenkin, Michael Unakafov and Alexander Nadtochiy.�Each of the pioneers was awarded with special diplomas and pioneer ties in recognition of their dedication and contribution to SCENAR.
The next stage was the official introductions of all of the participants, each representative had to stand up and explain how they discovered SCENAR, and what led them to be at this special event. Everyone told a story about an unusual patient or event and we all had to tell a funny SCENAR story or anecdote. There was much laughter at the stories, for example the most unusual SCENAR patient being a goldfish! Special guests Lena Golovanova and Nikolai Noskov, who are the editors of the �SCENAR. Magazine for you�, photographed the conference: .
After a break, we were most honoured to have a presentation by Academician Vadim Zilov (who has so many titles that it took three slides on our presentation to list them all!), he spoke about the mechanisms of action of non-drug factors Next, Professor of non-drug treatments for MMA Sechenov - Inessa Minenko spoke about the experience and comparative effectiveness of SCENAR therapy.
At the conference we were all presented with an excerpt of the very important and long-awaited English version of the SCENAR Encyclopaedia written by Alexander Revenko.�This is the book that all SCENAR students and enthusiasts have been waiting for as it explains in great detail not only SCENAR protocols and methodology, but also how and why these methods were invented.
In the evening was our special event. Sasha, Galina and I had decided to have an awards ceremony on the first night and we called it the �SCENAR heart awards�. Each guest was awarded a certificate and a beautiful glass heart with two hearts, one red and the other clear, this symbol was chosen because we feel that SCENAR lives in the hearts of everyone who discovers it and it is a symbol of energy and life. There were many categories for the awards, each category showing the persons different contribution to SCENAR Therapy.
When everyone was invited to the conference they were each instructed to bring a bottle of vodka for this evening, which was produced in their country. It was a challenge for some as not all the countries have their own vodka, but it was amazing to sample so many different vodkas. The Irish bought Poitin, which was so potent that you could get drunk just by opening the bottle! Yuri Chernov also bought a cake in the shape of a SCENAR device and everyone had to eat a piece! Needless to say, with all the vodka, the rest of the evening was somewhat hazy, but we were delighted that Nikolai Noskov bought his guitar and we all sang songs together, it didn�t seem to matter if we didn�t know the words, it seems that when you drink so much vodka you can sing in several languages fluently!! Our friend Oleg also sang to us, it was an incredible evening, and the bravest (or drunkest?) of the group headed off to a nightclub to continue the party!
December 2nd
The next day was an emotional day, as we learnt about the life and contributions to SCENAR of Yura Gorfinkel. Yura was one of the inventors of SCENAR Therapy methods who sadly died young, but not before passing on to us his discoveries and his knowledge. Yura�s widow and daughter both called Olga joined us, and we saw many films and pictures showing Yura teaching, socializing and as a family man.
For those of us who didn�t know Yura, it was very special, because throughout our journey in SCENAR we have all been told about this very special man, who helped to develop the methods we practise today, but seeing these films and hearing his friends talk so warmly about him and about the loss they still feel every day was very moving. We could see clearly, how his charisma and humour captivated everybody he met, and we were deeply sad that we never had the opportunity to know him. For those who knew him, it was a difficult day, many people spoke about him, told funny stories and told about their memories of him and it was clear that this was a man sent to the earth for a short time but for a special purpose. My favourite story was this:
Sasha and Yura were teaching students, and each was teaching a different class. It was the end of the day and Yura had finished but Sasha would not stop (this was often a complaint of Yura to Sasha!) so Yura decided to play a practical joke to hurry him up.Yura filled a glass full of vodka, (which of course to the students looked like water) and handed it to Sasha. Sasha took the glass took a sip,but he did not grimace, he did not react in any way, just carried on as if it was water, and continued talking until he was ready to finish!
I think this story really highlights the wonderful relationship between Sasha and Yura - I can imagine it exactly as if I was there!
We all felt Yura�s spirit with us that day. In the afternoon, we went to see his tomb, together with his family, and we all made a dedication and a toast to him and his memory and thanked him for the knowledge he has given us. In spite of the sadness of the day, in the evening we had dinner, and more stories and more laughter, Sasha and Galina as always the perfect hosts, entertaining us and making everyone laugh and feel special.
December 3rd
The next day, we had a tour of Taganrog and visited many places of interest.
Taganrog was the first�Russian naval base and was officially founded by Peter the Greaton September�12, 1698
By the end of the 18th century, Taganrog lost its primacy as a military base after the Crimea and the Sea of Azovwere absorbed into the Russian Empire.
Taganrog was important as a commercial port. During the Second World War,the Germansoccupied Taganrog and the city suffered extensive damage. Taganrog was liberated on August�30, 1943.
Taganrog is the leading industrial center of Rostov Oblast. Local industry is presented by aerospace, automobile, military, iron and steel industry and engineering and is one of the major ports of the Sea of Azov.
Numerous Russian and international aristocrats, politicians, artists, and scientists were born and/or have lived in Taganrog. Taganrog is the native city of�Anton Chekhov, Faina Ranevskaya, Sophia Parnok and Alexandre Koyre.
December 4th
The next day was a very important day, as we were invited to visit the institute of OKB Ritm, which is the Special Design Office of medical informational � diagnostic systems and the place where SCENAR technology has been developed since 1980.
For the participants of the conference (who had not been to this place) it was a unique opportunity because for most people working with SCENAR the place where SCENARS are created is somewhat of a myth! We were surprised to learn that it is not only SCENAR technology that is developed here but many other medical diagnostic systems too. It was so interesting to discover the history of SCENAR and to be shown around the Bureau to some of the laboratories and meet some of the people who design, and create the devices we use every day in our clinics. We were very honoured to be in this place and to meet everyone and we could feel a special energy from this place and from the people we met.
In the evening, a dinner was organized with the staff of the Bureau. It was a night we will never forget, such was the energy created by everyone. We were in a lovely restaurant and once again we were spoilt with delicious food, wine and of course Vodka! We drank and ate and talked and laughed and danced for many hours and we were drunk on the atmosphere! The evening ended with another visit to a nightclub, we think that the patrons of the club were shocked to see so many tourists of all ages having such a good time, the next day we ached from dancing!
December 5th
The last day was both happy and sad, we all gathered in the conference room and spoke about our experiences in Taganrog and how each of us felt that it had changed us in some way. To meet so many like minded people, to feel that people you have known for such a short time can feel so close to you, like they are part of your family is a precious and rare thing. For so long I have felt like a �fish out of water� and yet in Taganrog I felt as if I belonged to this group of wonderful people and that we have a spirituality and vibration that we all share. Inessa made us laugh by declaring that her greatest surprise of the trip was that foreigners could party as hard and drink as much vodka as Russians!
Every day of this incredible trip was more amazing than the day before, and we cannot even begin to thank Sasha and Galina for organizing this unforgettable conference. They worked so hard to make everything perfect, to bring together so many people, to organize so many excursions and to make sure everyone had a good time, they truly deserve the title of �the Mother and Father of SCENAR�!
Thanks must also go to the wonderful staff of the Temirinda hotel, who could not have been more helpful or accommodating to everyone who stayed there. Everything about the hotel was perfect.
Thank you Sasha and Galina for everything. We love you so much and can�t wait for us all to be together again. Next year in St Petersburg!!
