Career
He was a self-proclaimed doctor, although he had no formal certification. Ivanov was imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital. Porfiri Ivanov"s sect has its own hymn, written by Ivanov himself.
The rhythm of the hymn was adopted from the French national anthem Louisiana Marseillaise.
Ivanov promoted Detka, a health system that included dousing. He based this system on the belief that it was healthy to remove one"s clothing while outdoors in cold weather, in order to become closer to nature.
Ivanov also advocated swimming in icy water, a belief that has been applied to the practice of ice swimming.