The classic video game Tetris, renowned for its addictive puzzle-solving gameplay, might just offer a surprising new avenue for tackling the distressing memories that can arise after experiencing trauma. A recent trial has indicated that engaging with this seemingly simple game could lead to a significant reduction in debilitating flashbacks for individuals who have undergone traumatic events.
Researchers involved in the study are now eager to explore this innovative approach further, aiming to expand its testing to a broader population. They’ve described the method as “accessible, scalable, and adaptable,” highlighting its potential for widespread application.
The groundbreaking study, a collaborative effort between researchers in the UK and Sweden, involved 99 National Health Service (NHS) staff members. These individuals had unfortunately been exposed to traumatic events, such as witnessing deaths, particularly during the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of these participants, 40 were provided with a specific intervention known as imagery competing task intervention (ICTI). This treatment involved playing a slow-paced version of Tetris. The core of the intervention required participants to briefly recall a traumatic memory. Immediately following this recall, they were instructed to visualise the familiar Tetris grid and its descending blocks in their mind’s eye. The findings from this intervention suggest that this straightforward technique could serve as a valuable tool in mitigating the profound impact of traumatic experiences.
The underlying theory behind the ICTI method is that it weakens the vividness and intrusive nature of traumatic memories. This is believed to occur by occupying the brain’s visuospatial processing areas. These are the very regions responsible for analysing and understanding physical space and visual information.
Professor Emily Holmes, a leading psychologist at Uppsala University and the principal investigator of the study, elaborated on 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,” she explained. “By weakening the intrusive aspect of these sensory memories via this brief visual intervention, people experience fewer trauma images flashing back.”
In contrast, the remaining participants in the study received different forms of intervention. Some listened to classical music by Mozart, accompanied by podcasts about the composer, as a means of stress alleviation. Others received standard care as usual.
The results, which were published in the esteemed journal The Lancet Psychiatry, revealed a striking difference. Those who underwent the ICTI treatment reported experiencing 10 times fewer flashbacks compared to the other groups within a four-week period. The positive effects continued to manifest, with approximately 70 per cent of participants reporting no intrusive memories at all after six months. Furthermore, the treatment also demonstrated efficacy in addressing symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Professor Holmes expressed her delight at the breakthrough achieved by the research. “We are delighted to have made a real breakthrough by showing this intervention works,” she stated. “It is far more than just playing Tetris, and while it is simple to use, it’s been a complicated process to refine and develop.”
She further emphasised the targeted nature of the intervention. “The intervention focuses on our mental imagery, not words, and is designed to be as gentle, brief and practical as possible to fit into people’s busy lives,” Professor Holmes added. “We hope to expand our research so it can be put into practise by determining its effectiveness for a broader range of people and scenarios.”
Charlotte Summers, Director of the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart & Lung Research Institute and Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the University of Cambridge, underscored the importance of this development 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,” she remarked. “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.”
The research team is now actively pursuing avenues to test ICTI on larger and more diverse cohorts of individuals. They are also exploring the feasibility of developing a non-guided version of the intervention, which could further enhance its accessibility.
Tayla McCloud, Research Lead for Digital Mental Health at Wellcome, the organisation that funded the study, highlighted the impressive outcomes given the simplicity of the intervention. “These results are impressive for such a simple to use intervention,” she commented. “If we can get similarly strong results in bigger trials, this could have an enormous impact.”
McCloud also pointed out the unique advantages of ICTI. “It’s rare to see something so accessible, scalable and adaptable across contexts,” she noted. “It doesn’t require patients to put their trauma into words and even transcends language barriers. This study is a key example of why Wellcome is investing in a wide range of mental health interventions, so that in the future everyone will have access to treatments that work for them.”
