Playing Tetris Could Slash PTSD Symptoms, Major Study Finds
By Science Correspondent
A simple digital technique — including mentally playing the video game Tetris — could dramatically cut traumatic flashbacks, researchers say.
In a new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry, healthcare workers who used the approach reported 10 times fewer intrusive memories after just four weeks. Six months later, 70% said their flashbacks had stopped completely.
The trial involved 99 frontline staff exposed to trauma during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Instead of traditional talk therapy, participants briefly recalled a traumatic memory and then carried out a guided mental rotation task while playing Tetris slowly and deliberately.
Scientists believe the technique works by occupying the brain’s visual processing system — the same system involved in vivid flashbacks — helping to weaken the intensity and frequency of those memories.
The treatment, known as the Imagery Competing Task Intervention, was developed by researchers at Uppsala Universityalongside UK collaborators including the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
The research was funded by Wellcome.
Experts say the findings are especially important for healthcare workers, who are regularly exposed to traumatic events.
PTSD rates among NHS staff reportedly rose sharply during the pandemic.
Researchers now hope larger trials will confirm whether the low-cost, scalable treatment could be rolled out more widely — offering a quick, accessible way to tackle trauma without lengthy therapy sessions.
If future studies back it up, experts believe the low-cost approach could become an accessible new option for tackling trauma symptoms.
Reference
Beckenstrom, AC et al. A digital imagery-competing task intervention for stopping intrusive memories in trauma-exposed health-care staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a Bayesian adaptive randomised clinical trial. Lancet Psychiatry; 19 Feb 2025; DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(25)00397-9
