HEALING WITH MAGIC

Health professionals pick up magic tricks to engage and build rapport with patients

- Chin Soo Fang

Senior psychologist Peter Tan has a bag of tricks to help and delight his patients at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

One of his magic tricks involves shaking a black scarf until — mere seconds later — rainbow hues appear on the cloth. The 48-year-old does magic for some of his patients who suffer from mental health challenges, stroke and mild dementia.

Philanthropic house Lien Foundation has introduced magic as a new tool for healthcare professionals to employ in their patient care journey.

It engaged Mr Alexander Yuen, managing director of Singapore magic production company Meta Illusions, to teach healthcare professionals in participating hospitals tricks that can help their patients overcome the monotony and repetitiveness of standard physiotherapy exercises. Some of them also pass on the tricks to the patients.

Mr Yuen conducted a pilot workshop of five sessions in August 2023 at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH). A second workshop for TTSH commenced in December the same year.

He teaches about eight different tricks, each serving a unique function. "One way I structure the class is to pair up easy tricks with more challenging ones," he told The Sunday Times.

With this approach, when the healthcare professionals go on to teach patients the same tricks, the patients get a confidence boost after succeeding with an easy trick, and are encouraged to tackle the more difficult ones with greater resilience, he said.

Lien Foundation chief executive Lee Poh Wah said: "Hospitals can be lonely, intimidating places, and patients often feel stressed and helpless. We believe that magic can help clinicians establish quick rapport with patients, making them feel more at ease."

He added: "Learning a magic trick, however simple, gives patients a sense of control and achievement. The shared experience of wonder and laughter can enhance patient satisfaction and recovery, in ways conventional methods fall short."