(ETX Daily Up) – In addition to entertaining, video games could also be healing. Playing the popular game Tetris helps alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a Swedish study. The benefits provided by a gaming session persist up to six months after treatment.
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To reach this conclusion, researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden worked with healthcare professionals who worked with Covid-19 patients during the pandemic and who were exposed to work-related trauma. . Conducted between September 2020 and April 2022, the study was published in the journal BMC Medicine.
In total, 164 people participated in this research which aimed to reduce, or even eliminate, flashbacks, these unpleasant memories which can arise at any time following a traumatic event in the form of mental images. All reported experiencing work-related trauma and suffered from at least two intrusive memories of these events per week. Participants were divided into two groups: one received a Tetris-based intervention, while the other, the control group, listened to a philosophy podcast.
The results revealed a striking contrast between the two groups: healthcare professionals who played Tetris noted a significant reduction in intrusive memories. At the start of the study, participants experienced an average of fifteen flashbacks per week. After five weeks of treatment, these episodes decreased to five for the control group and just one for the Tetris-playing group. At a check-up six months after treatment, the group of gamers had half as many problems as the group assigned to listen to podcasts.
According to researchers, by occupying the brain with images, Tetris could reduce the frequency and vividness of traumatic memories. “The treatment relies on what is called mental rotation, which is at the heart of the game Tetris. When you look at an object from a certain angle, you can imagine what it would look like if it were rotated in another position and if it could be seen from a different angle,” the researchers explain in a press release.
“We were surprised to find that the treatment method was so effective and that the improvement in symptoms lasted for six months. I am aware that it may seem unlikely that such a short intervention, which includes video games but no in-depth discussion of the trauma with a therapist, could be helpful. But the study provides scientifically controlled evidence that a single session of guided digital processing can reduce the number of intrusive memories and that participants can use it safely,” says Emily Holmes, professor at Uppsala University , who led the study.
“My vision is that one day we will be able to provide a tool to people such as healthcare professionals after traumatic events to help prevent and treat early symptoms of PTSD, a sort of ‘cognitive vaccine’, in the same way that we currently vaccinate against certain infectious physical diseases,” she concludes.
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