Could Playing Tetris Alleviate PTSD Symptoms?

Researchers from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found promising results suggesting that playing the classic computer game, Tetris, might provide relief to individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This intriguing concept was driven by the persistent and involuntary recurrence of traumatic visual memories, a significant symptom of PTSD.

The Study's Backdrop:

Previous research by Professor Emily Holmes and her team indicated that playing Tetris shortly after watching a horror film could reduce flashbacks in healthy individuals.

The recent study aimed to determine if this effect extends to PTSD patients, who are haunted by traumatic memories, often from years ago.

Methodology:

20 inpatients diagnosed with complex PTSD participated in the study.

Along with regular therapy sessions, these patients engaged in a unique intervention. They penned down a traumatic memory, tore the paper (without discussing its content), and subsequently played Tetris for 25 minutes.

The patients tracked various flashbacks in a diary, targeting specific ones during each intervention week by week.

Findings:

The frequency of targeted flashbacks decreased in the days and weeks after the Tetris intervention. In contrast, the non-targeted ones remained largely unchanged.

The total number of targeted flashbacks reduced by an average of 64%, while those not targeted saw only an 11% decline.

16 out of 20 patients responded positively to the intervention.

The Science Behind It:

Researchers believe that visualizing traumatic memories activates visuospatial processing areas in the brain, similar areas activated when playing Tetris. When these two tasks overlap, interference happens. This interference might make the traumatic memory trace temporarily unstable, potentially weakening its subsequent storage and reducing flashbacks.

Next Steps and Limitations:

While the findings are promising, this is an early-stage study. Further research with larger sample sizes and control conditions is necessary to solidify the conclusions. Importantly, as Professor Kessler emphasizes, while this intervention might offer temporary relief from flashbacks, it is not a replacement for comprehensive trauma therapy.

Source: [Ruhr-University Bochum. (2019, January 8). Post-traumatic stress disorder: alleviating flashbacks by playing Tetris. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 8, 2023 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190108095114.htm]