Tetris Video Game Emerges as Novel Tool for PTSD Symptom Reduction
A groundbreaking clinical trial has demonstrated that the classic puzzle game Tetris could provide an innovative and accessible method for alleviating distressing memories associated with traumatic experiences. Researchers from the United Kingdom and Sweden collaborated on a study involving 99 NHS staff members who had witnessed traumatic events, including deaths, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Imagery Competing Task Intervention Shows Significant Results
The treatment, known as imagery competing task intervention (ICTI), involved 40 participants playing a slow version of Tetris. During the intervention, individuals were instructed to briefly recall a traumatic memory before mentally visualising the Tetris grid and its falling blocks. This process is believed to occupy the brain's visuospatial areas, thereby weakening the vividness of intrusive memories.
The findings published in The Lancet Psychiatry are particularly striking: participants who received the ICTI treatment experienced ten times fewer flashbacks compared to control groups within just four weeks. After six months, approximately 70% reported having no intrusive memories at all. The treatment also showed effectiveness in addressing broader symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Expert Perspectives on the Breakthrough Discovery
Professor Emily Holmes of Uppsala University, who led the research, explained the significance of these findings: "Even a single, fleeting intrusive memory of past trauma can exert a powerful impact in daily life by hijacking attention and leaving people at the mercy of unwanted and intrusive emotions. By weakening the intrusive aspect of these sensory memories via this brief visual intervention, people experience fewer trauma images flashing back."
Professor Holmes emphasised that while the intervention appears simple, it represents a sophisticated psychological approach focused on mental imagery rather than verbal processing. The method has been deliberately designed to be gentle, brief, and practical enough to integrate into people's busy lives.
Broader Implications for Healthcare Systems
Charlotte Summers, Director of the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart & Lung Research Institute and Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the University of Cambridge, highlighted the importance of this discovery for healthcare professionals: "Every day, healthcare workers across the world are recurrently exposed to traumatic events in the course of their work, impacting the mental and physical wellbeing of those who care for us when we are unwell. At a time when global healthcare systems remain under intense pressure, the discovery of a scalable digital intervention that promotes the wellbeing of health professionals experiencing work-related traumatic events is an exciting step forward."
Future Research Directions and Accessibility
The research team is now planning to expand testing to larger and more diverse populations, including exploring options for a non-guided version of the intervention. Tayla McCloud, Research Lead for Digital Mental Health at Wellcome (which funded the study), noted the exceptional accessibility of this approach: "These results are impressive for such a simple to use intervention. If we can get similarly strong results in bigger trials, this could have an enormous impact. It's rare to see something so accessible, scalable and adaptable across contexts. It doesn't require patients to put their trauma into words and even transcends language barriers."
The remaining participants in the study either listened to Mozart's music along with podcasts about the composer to alleviate stress, or received standard treatment protocols. Researchers are particularly enthusiastic about the potential for this intervention to be implemented widely, given its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and ability to bypass traditional language-based therapeutic approaches.
