BMJ
How playing Tetris can help relieve trauma symptoms in healthcare workers
Blocking out the trauma?
Potentially. Results from a small trial by UK and Swedish researchers suggest playing the vintage video game Tetris could reduce distressing memories in healthcare workers following trauma.
Building the evidence base?
The randomized controlled trial recruited 99 healthcare workers exposed to trauma at work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 40 people received imagery competing task intervention (ICTI), a simple digital intervention which included playing a slow version of Tetris. They were compared to two control groups, one that listened to music by Mozart and podcasts about the composer to alleviate stress, and one that received standard care.
How did the results stack up?
The findings, published in Lancet Psychiatry, showed that those using the Tetris-based treatment had 10 times fewer flashbacks compared with either control groups within one month. It remained highly effective after six months, with 70% of participants in the Tetris-based group reporting no intrusive memories at all. The treatment also alleviated symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Forming different shapes in the mind?
Explaining how the ICTI process works, Emily Holmes, professor of psychology at Uppsala University, and study lead, 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 with this brief visual intervention, people experience fewer trauma images flashing back.”
Should we prescribe Game Boys on the NHS?
Holmes said the team were “delighted” to have shown the intervention can work, but larger trials would be needed to test its effectiveness. She added, “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. 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.”
Source:
Iacobucci G. How playing Tetris can help relieve trauma symptoms in healthcare workers. BMJ 2026;392:s387 doi:10.1136/bmj.s387 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41748243/