Playing the classic video game Tetris could offer a novel approach to reducing distressing memories following trauma, a new trial has indicated.
Researchers found that health workers who engaged with the puzzle game as part of their treatment experienced a significant reduction in flashbacks.
Experts are now keen to expand testing of the method, which they describe as “accessible, scalable and adaptable”, to a broader population.
The study, a collaboration between researchers in the UK and Sweden, involved 99 NHS staff members who had been exposed to traumatic events, such as witnessing deaths, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Forty of these participants received the treatment, known as imagery competing task intervention (ICTI), which involved playing a slow version of Tetris.
During the intervention, individuals were asked to briefly recall a traumatic memory before using their mind’s eye to visualise the Tetris grid and its falling blocks.
The findings suggest this simple intervention could be a valuable tool in mitigating the impact of traumatic experiences.
The ICTI method is thought to weaken the vividness of the intrusive memories by occupying the brain’s visuospatial areas, which help it to analyse and understand physical space.
Emily Holmes, a professor of psychology at Uppsala University – who led the study, said: “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.”
The remaining patients either listened to music by Mozart to help alleviate stress, along with podcasts about the composer, or received standard treatment.
The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, found that those who received the ICTI treatment had 10 times fewer flashbacks compared to other groups within four weeks.
After six months, some 70 per cent reported having no intrusive memories at all.
The treatment also helped tackle symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Prof Holmes added: “We are delighted to have made a real breakthrough by showing this intervention works.
“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.
“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.
“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, said: “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.”
The team is now exploring ways to test ICTI on larger and more diverse groups, as well as looking at options for a non-guided version of the game.
Tayla McCloud, research lead for digital mental health at Wellcome – which funded the study, said: “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.
“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.”
