Playing Tetris may reduce traumatic flashbacks, trial finds

A small UK–Sweden trial reported that NHS staff who used a brief Tetris-based visual task experienced far fewer intrusive memories; researchers plan larger and more diverse trials to test the approach further.

Researchers tested a brief visual task, using a slow version of Tetris, with NHS staff who had been exposed to trauma during the Covid-19 pandemic. The intervention, called imagery competing task intervention (ICTI), asks people to briefly recall a single intrusive memory and then play the slow Tetris game while visualising the grid. The trial found notably fewer flashbacks among those who received ICTI, and the team is preparing larger trials and exploring a non-guided version. Key findings: - The trial included 99 NHS staff; 40 participants received the ICTI Tetris-based intervention while the others listened to music and podcasts or received standard treatment. - ICTI involved briefly recalling a traumatic image, then playing a slow version of Tetris and using mental imagery of the game grid to occupy visuospatial processing. - Participants who received ICTI reported about 10 times fewer flashbacks within four weeks, and roughly 70% reported no intrusive memories at six months; PTSD symptoms also showed improvement. - The study was published in The Lancet Psychiatry and funded by Wellcome; researchers described the method as accessible, scalable and adaptable and plan larger, more diverse trials. Summary: In this small trial a brief Tetris-based visual task (ICTI) coincided with a marked reduction in intrusive memories and some improvement in PTSD symptoms among NHS staff. The research team is now seeking to test the method in larger and more diverse groups and to examine a non-guided version. Broader effectiveness and wider use are undetermined at this time.