Yefim shubentsov biography of christopher

"25 years of nonstop smoking finally ended on the day I met Yefim!" writes John Y. on Yelp. "You have to be willing to quit, and you just have to believe him."

Plenty do. Until the pandemic hit, Yefim G. Shubentsov, affectionately known as the "Mad Russian," saw clients regularly at his Washington Square office. Shubentsov's Wikipedia page describes him as an "eraser" of addictions and phobias.

"I run no advertisements," Shubentsov said by phone this week from his Brookline home. "I don't call them; they call me."

But right now, they are only calling to book future appointments. "I cannot open until the government allows it," he said. Phase 3 doesn't include his work. "I am seeing no new patients during the coronavirus, nor any patients at all."

If clients need reinforcement, he does that over the phone, but not often. "I have 171,000 patients from all over the world," he said. "Maybe five have recently called."

So what is he doing? "I'm busy at home all the time," he said, explaining that he is also a professional poet who has published five books. "I write some poems, only in Russian, every day," he said.

Shubentsov is also a professional oil painter. "That alone, you have to do all the time," he said. He generally paints seascapes and travels to Maine and New Hampshire, but has been to 44 countries.

He had exhibits in Russia, but the walls of his office now display a breathtaking showcase of his work.

Shubentsov is busy reading, too. "I have 8000 books," he said.

He moved to Boston with his wife in 1980 from New York, as their son was at MIT. He chose Brookline, he explained, because it was "comfortable and convenient."

According to various online resources, Shubentsov has successfully treated the likes of Billy Joel, Courtney Cox, Drew Barrymore, Amy Tan and Lenny Clarke. There are likely many other A-Listers in his files, but like any good practitioner, he will not discuss his clientele.

Shubentsov has been featured on 20/20, and in numerous magazines including Boston Magazine, Elle and Vanity Fair.

You can see why his clients are waiting for him to reopen. He treats bad habits, addictions and myriad problems, and while he is known mainly for curing smoking, he said it is a small percentage of his work. "Most of it is drinking and drugs."

Afflictions include depression, anxiety, overeating and broken hearts, as well as fears of flying, claustrophia, and all other phobias. He treats veterans suffering from PTSD as well.

According to Shubentsov, and innumerable online testimonials, in one brief session ("One visit, 10 seconds, no problems!" he said), they are generally freed.

How?

Through a combination of common-sense advice regarding behavior modification, with what he he calls "bio-energy."

In Shubentsov's 1999 book "Cure Your Cravings," which he wrote with Barbara Gordon (who authored the drug addiction memoir ''I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can'' and whom Shubentsov cured of smoking), he explains how others can learn his technique.

According to a 1998 New York Times article, it all began in the 60s, when he was singled out by a stranger in Moscow who told him that he had a better than average biological field.

In Moscow, he was a commercial artist and served in the military. He defected with his family to the U.S. in 1979.

Shubentsov has the client relax, and talks with them. If the person is in pain, he then moves his hands around the site. But he insists that it is not magic, only his biological fields.

"Some come in with any number of issues," he explained. "If so, I only charge for one."

That was the case of Providence Journal page designer and former smoker Dave Weyermann, who in 2014 was advised to “Go see the Mad Russian,” and wrote about it.

He did the math: "...The visit was only $65. I smoked half a pack per day at $8 to $9 per pack. [And] ... in addition to those savings, I wouldn’t have to pay $50 extra on my health insurance," he wrote.

Weyermann not only stopped smoking, but strangely enough, he also stopped biting his fingernails.

"I’m not sure what happened in that room. Was it bio-energy, the placebo effect, hypnosis or something else?" he wrote.

No one seems to exactly know, but the accolades, and future appointments, continue to roll in.

Brookline@Home spotlights noteworthy town residents who are making the most of their housebound time. Send suggestions to Susiedavidsonjournalist@gmail.com.