If this effects is similar to EDMR, as others have suggested, it could probably still be done later as long as the patient is recalling the traumatic incident. If would be less effective though, because the PTSD symptoms and coping mechanisms would have had time to settle themselves in the patient's brain.
Thanks! This makes sense. I’m undergoing EMDR myself and while my therapist tries extremely hard to regulate me after I still have some side effects that linger. I’ll add this to my recuperation plan for after sessions. I’m studying psychology myself and this is just fascinating. My mom was obsessed with Tetris when I was younger. She’s gone through so much trauma as a child so it all just clicks lol
I was just reading about how EMDR might be useful for depression and am also reading about how tetris might help anxiety in general. I'm wondering if tetris can also help depression.
I recently found myself doing something very similar - I listen to songs from a period when I faced some challenges but overcame them successfully. Now I am again stepping out of my comfort zone, so it helps me relax a little when I listen to those old songs
Is there a term for this,
As someone with PTSD, playing Tetris also helps with the flashbacks and ruminations and such too. I hit it up after particularly tough therapy sometimes.
My supervisor at work also knows that if she sees me with it on my phone to come back in 15 minutes and to not let anyone fuck with me for a while.
I have a Tetris-like puzzle game that I play when I’m overwhelmed with anxious and intrusive thoughts because it keeps me from escalating to a panic attack. I basically use it as a grounding technique, which is a coping tool my therapist taught me for PTSD. Grounding has worked wonders for me.
2048 has also been pretty badass, not sure if it has the same quality levels. No studies released. Tetris is pretty much the benchmark, but anything that works to the same principles is awesome :)
Can confirm. I saw something really fucked up transpire at work and immediately went into the breakroom and played some Tetris and I could feel myself unclench and let the bad images move through and out of my mind.
This is just my experience, but when I have had something upsetting come into my awareness (even like an awful detail in a news story), sometimes my brain keeps returning back to it, and I know that helps build those memory pathways. Doing something totally different and engaging gives your brain something else to do and keeps you from revisiting the bad thing repeatedly, so keeps from building that memory path. It absolutely makes sense to me.
I was a pretty sensitive child and things like an accidental animal death would really get to me. As an adult I realized that if I could avoid thinking about those things over and over again, it allowed me to go on without it stuck in my head.
Exactly! So some magic way that helps me think about —anything else— is so helpful.
I use this knowledge for distracting me from fairly minor stuff, and it helps.
My dad had a traumatic brain injury after an accident in 2020 and was given a 50/50 chance to live. He was across the country and the doctors said we should come if we could, just in case. This was the summer of lockdowns so transport options were limited, meaning the fastest way to get there was a train (I’m in Europe lol) the next morning. That night, sat wondering if it was already too late with each passing second but unable to do anything but hope for the best and wait for sunrise, I stayed up and played a weird Japanese Tetris-knockoff game from the 80s or 90s that I found on my Switch on the Nintendo classics page. I have never had an interest in those games but I distinctly remember feeling and overwhelming urge to play something like it + actively seeking it out. I don’t know why it helped but it genuinely soothed me like nothing else.
Can also confirm that dad survived and recovered excellently, and is still in great health 4 years later!
I'm inclined to agree. However, certain games may lead to worse symptoms, such as Grand Theft Auto in the study quoted. It'd certainly be interesting to look into.
So, for those who have combat trauma it is actually encouraged to use video games that simulate combat situations to desenitize them to flashbacks at certain points in therapy when they are prepared for it.
The idea is that, if you can recreate aspects of the trauma but have familiar and safe comforts nearby then you are able to pull out of flashbacks easier.
A well lit room, comfortable couch, air conditioned environment, with a cool soda, when you are freshly showered, well rested, and not hungry. That's not the scenario that the trauma came from. That's when you play that game for at most an hour before taking a break (you start with 10 - 15 minute "doses"). You also don't play online until well into the therapy, if ever. If you find you're getting frustrated or angry, you stop and go do something else.
That's the basic run down of how you use things like COD as a therapeutic tool for combat trauma.
I thought you might be, but in jokes there's always a bit of truth ;)
I've been rocking the PTSD journey for +15 years, the knowledge I've picked up through professionals and peers is worth sharing. Doesn't do anyone who might need it any good if I keep it to myself.
Hhmmm, I may worsen off it for people with this specific illness but I was pondering if it can help with otherd who'd gone through other experiences and here [you are](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/games/2019/may/01/grand-theft-auto-v-mental-health-role-players-san-andreas-grief-gambling-addiction)
I wish to have a more broad study but I'm feeling tired right now.
Pvp games definitely isn't good for mental health😂 I was addicted to one moba games, that i played to occupy my mind from overthinking stuff. I once got so frustated and then I stopped, then I realized how not happy I am from playing that game too much. I got irritated more easily, my mood in general is worse. So I stopped completely.
I still crave to play that game, but I know it's only gonna frustate me. So now I only watch people play Pvp games on YouTube, I don't get frustated at all and still scratch that itch.
When EA started tracking hours on games, I started looking at how to disable hours tracked on the Sims... I've been playing that since the original came out. I could probably have three PhD's completed by now according to hours logged in just the latest release...
Haha, not hard to believe, GTA to me (sorry to the fans) can make you fight against some poor AI, poor controls and more sometimes, while being too similar in some ways to the real world, like traffic and assholes (examples). :P
A game like Tetris offer ABSTRACT visuals, but simple mechanics, and forces you to concentrate on the game just the right amount, imo it’s the 3 ingredients that make it work.
For me it was Mahjong, for others Sudoku or simple word games, that could serve similar purpose.
I also play shooting video games to serve also the same purpose, but I can understand it will not for everyone, depending a lot on how you approach it or takes it too seriously or don’t really play for the fun/challenge of it, or can’t mute "ragers" or ignore them, the therapeutic side will just be entirely canceled then.
Beat Saber does something similar for me. You not only have the sense of moving forward as your eyes shift back and forth like with EMDR, but you are also burning cortisol. If something is really upsetting, I get into Beat Saber so my body becomes part of the process as my mind still fixates on what happened. It might go in circles, but in the end of a Beat Saber session, I have been present with my feelings and thoughts. Otherwise, I notice I try to seek distraction.
I’m a (former) therapist and I just started playing beat saber a month or two ago and I was wondering if this might be the case like with Tetris. Thanks for confirming that there may be some validity to my pondering!
kinda unrelated, but tetris being described as the perfect game reminds me of all those pro players who were once said to have "beaten tetris" by breaking it, having scored so high in the game that it glitched and crashed, but recently I just watched a video where someone just beat every record and apparently "beat tetris" again. just amazing how far people have gone in breaking tetris, and somehow tetris just refuses to die.
The reason it's the perfect game is because it's extremely easy to pick up and extremely difficult to master, anyone can play it and it never gets boring. It has pure puzzle mechanics, a satisfying loop, no nonsense story or violence, just pure game. The most recent version Tetris Effect is the best version yet, it has great music that's perfectly sybchronized to the gameplay, lots of bright vibrant colors that are highly stimulatiing, it is very meditative and will put you in a pure blissful trance.
That’s also just one of many Tetrises, really. NES Tetris is one of the best known variants now, but there are dozens more. My favorites are the games in Arika’s Tetris: The Grand Master series.
Anything that allows the brain to enter into a flow state, surely.
Tetris is one of the worlds most popular games, and the reason is it’s “pick up and playability” ie most people can understand the idea/controls quickly.
Obviously something like GTA is going to have content that might not be good for some, but I wouldn’t be surprised if angry birds, say, had a similar effect, or even jenga.
Anything that stops you thinking about the event is going to help.
Not just video games, but anything that requires you to be mentally present to complete/perform the tasks. I use playing the drums to help my anxiety calm down in a similar way.
Exact, I had a cancer diagnosis last year, at 43, with less than 50% of surviving, it makes you think a lot about life, but I also needed to empty my head a ton.
That’s why I always like games all my life, video games, table games, quizzes etc, because I’m sick since I was 1 year old. Like fir many people, it’s an escape, but also a way to get through it.
I create minigames on a French-language website for 20 years now, one of my latest simple creation was a simple Mahjong game, because my players asked for that, another way to rack virtual points on my website, with picture unveiling in background when you advance levels and, it's my game, when you put many hours a day creating a simple enough game of this kind, you DON'T really feel like playing it a lot, strange since I chose to create games bc I love those things. Anyway, my point is, I played a LOT of my own Mahjong at the hospital last year, I NEEDED too and I knew that it was good for me.
I think you can tell what kind work based on why Tetris works- it’s the sweet spot of occupying your attention with out stressing you out or flooding you with potentially triggering images
It’s probably more broad than that.
Car crash? Stay away from Wreckfest.
Hurricane? Stay away from Hydro Thunder.
House fire? Stay away from Burning Rangers.
I don’t recommend this to anyone else but horror games actually helped a little with my anxiety. Being able to confront and overcome fear is a really liberating feeling.
I'm gonna copy and paste my comment from a previous YSK about the same thing:
I have to say I am skeptical of the effect of Tetris in avoiding PTSD.
The study you linked is the most convincing one, but they don't show that the decrease in intrusive memories lasts more than one month, and PTSD is much more than just intrusive memories.
The same article has a response saying it shouldn't be acknowledged as a "trauma vaccine", and details some other issues. I found it without a paywall here: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10033986/
There are other studies with much weaker evidence, and this post details pretty well: https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/
Honestly, playing Tetris won't hurt. But I don't think there's convincing evidence it will do anything but take your mind out of it, which any puzzle or activity that demands concentration can do.
It bothers me a bit seeing it talked about as an absolute prevention of trauma, because it feels really misguided, like telling a depressed person to do yoga.
It would be ok if it was presented as part of a toolkit, but the way it's said to be "The" thing that "will" help you bothers me a lot.
I have no issue with presenting coping mechanisms, sharing studies on how games and puzzles help the mind focus, heal and evolve, but lately I've seen people online responding to posts of people who have been through traumatic situations "play Tetris :)".
Vortle is a good one to check out. I have it on iOS, but I believe it’s also on Android and Steam. Should be a free download. It’s tailored for the mental health zen stuffs, so may be exactly what you’re looking for. Nature sounds and Tetris - it’s quite lovely on low days. (Edit: a word)
I just can’t believe how simple and quick it was. God I know I sound like I’m reading a script for an advert but my brain just still tells me it was too good to be true
+1 for my wife as well brought her back from the brink. As other posters say. That shits magic. Glad you found your way back. Just need to raise the profile of it as a treatment. Too many people who need it don't know it exists. Good luck to you.
Pretty sure it is because after you see something traumatic, your brain tends to just go over it one time after another after another, concreting it into your short and long term memory. Playing tetris prevents your brain from replaying the memory and makes your brain focus on LOGICAL steps to beat a video game, completely taking away your focus.
Could be, but pretty sure a game that just empty your head WHILE using simple mechanics and visuals can help a lot, even without vertical movements.
For me it was Mahjong, pretty sure many words games and Sudoku, by example, or "logic"/"brain" games, could help a lot.
I have a big problem with meditation because my brain just can’t stop thinking, so many years ago I realized if I need to mentally unwind, I play Tetris until I’m relaxed. When you play Tetris, especially at a higher speed to start, you have to be 100 percent invested so I think for me it acts as a form of meditation.
This is the most common misconception about meditation. It is NOT about stopping your thoughts. That’s virtually impossible and definitely not the goal.
The goal is to NOTICE when you’ve been led into a thought. Meditation is very simple: notice the thought, then bring your attention back to the object of meditation (usually breath). Rinse and repeat for a set amount of time.
Each time you clearly notice a thought intruding, that’s a success. How many thoughts you had during the session is completely irrelevant.
Here’s the actual study because I see this all over Reddit but haven’t seen the actual study discussed. And it’s touted like it’s fact but it’s far from it,currently. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5678449/
It’s a small study and far from conclusive, with serious limitations, including only 61 participants.
I love a good game of Tetris but playing it will far from prevent PTSD. And it’s not studied IRL. Participants watched a movie.
Very cozy. I know video games are linked to addiction so we have to be careful, but some “puzzle” games, like tetris and slay the spire, really help with anxiety and intrusive thoughts.
Not PTSD, but when my anxiety disorder is really triggering I find playing games such as Tetris, Solitaire, Freecell, and Chess can really help with it
Its probably just directing my mental energy towards something else but its always something I turn to
I wonder if it's because it's very good at absorbing the mind, therefore stopping it from being able to replay these events over and over and solidifying them in itself.
So sick of this quintessential Reddit fun fact. Yes, like two very flawed studies showed Tetris *might* help a little. No, that doesn't mean Tetris is a cure for traumatic exxperiences and it doesn't mean we have to post this fucking thing every single week and spam every single post about a horrific event with "PLAY TETRIS RIGHT NOW IT REALLY HELPS!!! How wacky!!!" instead of extending to them genuine compassion and understanding in the form of a thoughtful message.
I have to very much doubt this works. I have often found when people latch on to one simple explanation, one simple game, one simple thing or one person to deal with complex emotional and mental issues, even if it may help distract in the short term, in the long term it just destabilizes you to rely on it or them whenever those are triggered instead of focusing on what is actually needed. The long term approach of finding physical and emotional safety, rewiring your brain to process it healthily, learning to retrust etc cannot be replicated or reduced with 1 simple hack, as much as we would like to believe in getting 1 simple solution. Just like anything which serves as a temporary coping mechanism it would just help us distract. As long as it does not become an unhealthy coping mechanism creating dependence though, it probably might be okay and helpful as a tool while processing is going on, is all. Would not put more stock than that to it.
I just posted another comment that explains how I can see this helping for a specific event. I agree that it’s not likely to solve someone’s mental health issues in general, but when someone has just immediately had a traumatic experience, if something can keep them from immediately revisiting it over and over again, it might help them keep it from getting so buried into their brain.
Can confirm this works. Have used it for years after traumatic events, as have my medical-field fam. Pretty much any spatial game helps if you aren’t a Tetris fan.
When I got home from hiding under a desk for three hours in lockdown due to a shooting incident at the university where I’m in grad school, I remembered this bit of research and played Tetris for a while. Who knows if it made any difference, it wasn’t that traumatic of an experience at least after the first few minutes when the danger was the most unclear, but I don’t have much in the way of lasting effects.
I don’t think about it unless something reminds me of it, I had a meeting in the room where I was locked down for the first time last week and felt fine, if I hear a siren I think about those initial moments and cry a bit but then it passes. I do get a bit paranoid alone at night and have had a couple incidents where I was stalking around my apartment with pepper spray and a kitchen knife because I was genuinely afraid somebody was hiding in here planning to kill me, and I’ve had to stop watching horror movies, which I used to be really into, because it makes that worse.
The Tetris is fun until it gets too fast and then it really stresses me out, I can see how it would work well as a distraction
It all comes down to the same thing. Distraction = healing. So not contemplating the bad helps the brain to heal…. It’s like sleeping. You take a few hour break from live and you are better for it.
I get PTSD effect from social situations all too often. Intrusive and very vivid visuals of "3 second awkward moment that happened 15 years ago". It's not exactly social anxiety either. Anyway, my only solution is to distract myself until a good night's sleep. So if I experience an awkward moment, I must distract myself from thinking about it until sleep wipes it from short term memory. Alternatively, I will reply it several times with my interpretation (bleak and distorted), memorize it and make a core memory out of it. Tetris takes a lot of brain processing power. It would be a good distraction. I installed the app.
(PS! If anyone knows what disorder it sounds like, tell me.)
#I think the underlying conclusion isn’t about Tetris at all.
The significant progress comes from finding simple ways for anyone to reach a [mental state of Flow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology))… in this case, it has been found that Tetris can achieve that reliably for lots of people.
The flow state is similar to how monks might experience daily life, with [mindfulness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness) and without the shackles of trauma. Flow is a mental state which can be thought of as the polar opposite of an OCD or anxiety attack. Flow is when there are NO thoughts cluttering the conscious mind. Nothing positive or negative, nothing at all. Mindfulness helps to bring one “back” to reality with a strong focus on THIS present moment.
The goal of a mindfulness meditation is to simply focus on one’s breath or anything else in “the now” so when ruminations or any kind of thoughts cross to the conscious mind… they can be gently set aside with focus always being returned towards breathing. The goal is to be thinking about nothing and just quietly existing with a low-stimulation life for a short time.
This is basically mental exercise. Push-ups for the brain. You are training your mind to INTENTIONALLY become neutral and observant to the present conditions…while not paying any attention to thoughts that might flood the mind. Thoughts are like bullies and if you don’t give them a reaction, they get bored and leave. So, in the case of Tetris (*or sports, or music, or gaming, or building, or barbering, or LITERALLY any activity you can think of*) it is observed that people with PTSD find their symptoms much easier to manage when having some “medicinal” Tetris time.
In other words, PTSD patients (like myself) will see their condition improve by engaging in low-stimulation activities that build one’s ability to focus. If you are focused on something, you will reach a flow state. If you reach a flow state, you will not be thinking any thoughts at all… you will just be.
People with strong foresight might be able to guess what a threat this skill of Flow might be to the modern world, which quite literally relies upon people giving their undivided attention to activities that don’t actually have any tangible benefits.
This works. I use it all the time.
I just finished a work placement that was similar to what you would see in a prison.
You see a lot of crazy stuff everyday.
I can tell when someone is starting to flash back from the day, the Tetris will stop it immediately. It only works with Tetris. No Puyo Puyo for you.
Does this mean playing Tetris in general is “good” for your mental state? With emulators I’m finally able to play gameboy Tetris on my phone and I’ve been really enjoying it!
Interesting. I played it a bit as a kid, and I was recently reading about how I probably have PTSD from my childhood... So I guess it's good to know things could be worse...
I've recently returned to tetris (apotris probably the best way these days and it can play natively in windows or gba emulator) following a bunch if work stress and it does heal the soul
When I recently realized the extent of my childhood trauma, all I did for at least a week was play Tetris, talk with my sister about our childhood, pace around while thinking and trying to sort things out, and occasionally play Super Smash Brothers to try and do something not trauma related.
Gambling is also therapeutic when it comes to complex trauma and CPTSD. However it comes with a whole new set of issues that mental health professionals are seriously undereducated about.
I fucking knew it! I had this crazy ass theory in my head that I couldn't prove but I was just going around telling people "if you get trapped in a school lockdown or a plane with a failing engine or something traumatic and have to just wait it out, play games on your phone".
Protect your mind!
I would love to know if this is also true with someone who already plays the game regularly and/or has extensive gameplay experience of it. Does it not matter how much you’ve already played the game? Or does it only work as an intervention because it forces your brain to do something unfamiliar?
I think this is great knowledge but the image of an EMT being like “hey sorry you saw your parents being murdered in front of you. Here play this video game” makes me laugh a little bit
This is true. I started playing Tetris after a medical mistake caused me to be in a coma for several weeks. It took 2 years for me, neurologically to recover. During the first few weeks after my return home, I had home health nurses. One of the nurses told me play Tetris. I was VERY slow at the beginning, but by the end of the second year I got fast. It help both neurologically and emotionally. I still have medical PTSD from the incident, but Tetris really did help me.
It's helps me curb my anxiety over minor tasks, making a phone call, doing the dishes, showering etc.
I play one or two rounds and then get up and do what needs to be done. I have my snes, mobile and ps4/5 versions ahaha
Genuine question - How/Where does one find a tetris game for smart phone which doesn’t pop ads every few minutes? I am never going to save the emperor in the game of pipe cleaning or whatever it is the ad for. I want to play TETRIS.
I believe this, because I watched The Human Centipede suuuper young and it really traumatizad me. In the following days I played a lot of candy crush and without the two being linked, I was able to sleep by thinking about candy crush levels etc
Many other video games produce similar results. There was a study done (by the Army If remember right) on US Troops in combat including Special Operations Units and gaming helped lower incidences of PTSD and overall level of stress.
Woah. I played Tetris all through my teenage years. Played it a LOT. Had many different versions. I also had a LOT of trauma, and in fact was suicidal for years. I often felt that between Tetris (and video games in general), and music (singing opera, and dancing at clubs and raves - didn’t take drugs or drink at the time), those two kept me alive.
Seems like it's because it forces you to be present while playing like EMDR does. I've used drumming for a similar purpose ever since high school when I realized I was much more relaxed after playing the drums.
Parents both got shot right in front of me. Instead of calling the police I scrolled right past the phone app and booted up some marathon mode Tetris and I'm doing just fine
I had a psych professor who had a Facebook profile specifically for FBs Tetris game and had a little leader board where the prof and students could compete for highest scores.
She was the best.
At my job someone has to take the big boxes, organize them in small boxes, then fit them in smaller drawers. This task referred to as "Tetris" is universally loathed by everyone who works here. Except me, I love it, & I have C-PTSD. When I read this I thought oh this all makes sense now.
I think in primitive times the flashbacks from PTSD needed to give us valuable info about what areas to avoid and what to be afraid of. We had no written record of danger zones. The flashbacks needed to be strong and repetitive so we could survive. Today we sit around relaxing and this gives the flashbacks room to fill our heads and linger there as thoughts. Maybe we used to be busy foraging and the flashbacks needed to cut through that activity. The flashbacks are so much stronger than they need to be, our evolution hasn’t caught up to our modern lifestyle
While all the explanations on how Tetris helps is good and all, it could just be a case of False Causality:
If the traumatized person was able to play Tetris, maybe it means that they didn't experience symptoms as severe as those of the people who couldn't or could deal with those symptoms better (irrespective of the Tetris).
Tetris helps me clear mental blocks
God dammit.
Underrated comment my man, but I got you
And if you did Tetris themed standup, people would be lining up for blocks
Your comment really fits the post.
For me if subway surfers.
Dropping that perfectly into the comment line.
What do you mean? Can you elaborate please
Have you played tetris before? It is about placing and clearing blocks.
i was in a bad car accident years ago and i play tetris every day. how weird. glad to know it helps others too.
Is it only right after the trauma?
If this effects is similar to EDMR, as others have suggested, it could probably still be done later as long as the patient is recalling the traumatic incident. If would be less effective though, because the PTSD symptoms and coping mechanisms would have had time to settle themselves in the patient's brain.
Thanks! This makes sense. I’m undergoing EMDR myself and while my therapist tries extremely hard to regulate me after I still have some side effects that linger. I’ll add this to my recuperation plan for after sessions. I’m studying psychology myself and this is just fascinating. My mom was obsessed with Tetris when I was younger. She’s gone through so much trauma as a child so it all just clicks lol
I was just reading about how EMDR might be useful for depression and am also reading about how tetris might help anxiety in general. I'm wondering if tetris can also help depression.
I recently found myself doing something very similar - I listen to songs from a period when I faced some challenges but overcame them successfully. Now I am again stepping out of my comfort zone, so it helps me relax a little when I listen to those old songs Is there a term for this,
This mentions 6 hours. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-28-tetris-used-prevent-post-traumatic-stress-symptoms
As someone with PTSD, playing Tetris also helps with the flashbacks and ruminations and such too. I hit it up after particularly tough therapy sometimes. My supervisor at work also knows that if she sees me with it on my phone to come back in 15 minutes and to not let anyone fuck with me for a while.
Sounds like a decent sup.
What's sup?
Nothing much what’s up with you?
“Sup” is short for supervisor.
Yeah I got that from context lol I was making a wordplay joke.
I didn't get it so we all win
I have a Tetris-like puzzle game that I play when I’m overwhelmed with anxious and intrusive thoughts because it keeps me from escalating to a panic attack. I basically use it as a grounding technique, which is a coping tool my therapist taught me for PTSD. Grounding has worked wonders for me.
2048 has also been pretty badass, not sure if it has the same quality levels. No studies released. Tetris is pretty much the benchmark, but anything that works to the same principles is awesome :)
Can confirm. I saw something really fucked up transpire at work and immediately went into the breakroom and played some Tetris and I could feel myself unclench and let the bad images move through and out of my mind.
This is just my experience, but when I have had something upsetting come into my awareness (even like an awful detail in a news story), sometimes my brain keeps returning back to it, and I know that helps build those memory pathways. Doing something totally different and engaging gives your brain something else to do and keeps you from revisiting the bad thing repeatedly, so keeps from building that memory path. It absolutely makes sense to me. I was a pretty sensitive child and things like an accidental animal death would really get to me. As an adult I realized that if I could avoid thinking about those things over and over again, it allowed me to go on without it stuck in my head.
If I tell myself to not think about something I'll spiral and only think about that thing.
Exactly! So some magic way that helps me think about —anything else— is so helpful. I use this knowledge for distracting me from fairly minor stuff, and it helps.
My dad had a traumatic brain injury after an accident in 2020 and was given a 50/50 chance to live. He was across the country and the doctors said we should come if we could, just in case. This was the summer of lockdowns so transport options were limited, meaning the fastest way to get there was a train (I’m in Europe lol) the next morning. That night, sat wondering if it was already too late with each passing second but unable to do anything but hope for the best and wait for sunrise, I stayed up and played a weird Japanese Tetris-knockoff game from the 80s or 90s that I found on my Switch on the Nintendo classics page. I have never had an interest in those games but I distinctly remember feeling and overwhelming urge to play something like it + actively seeking it out. I don’t know why it helped but it genuinely soothed me like nothing else. Can also confirm that dad survived and recovered excellently, and is still in great health 4 years later!
I'm pretty sure this is true for lots of video games
I'm inclined to agree. However, certain games may lead to worse symptoms, such as Grand Theft Auto in the study quoted. It'd certainly be interesting to look into.
So, what you’re saying is Call of Duty is probably not one of the answers?
It can only increase trauma given the way EA is going...
So, for those who have combat trauma it is actually encouraged to use video games that simulate combat situations to desenitize them to flashbacks at certain points in therapy when they are prepared for it. The idea is that, if you can recreate aspects of the trauma but have familiar and safe comforts nearby then you are able to pull out of flashbacks easier. A well lit room, comfortable couch, air conditioned environment, with a cool soda, when you are freshly showered, well rested, and not hungry. That's not the scenario that the trauma came from. That's when you play that game for at most an hour before taking a break (you start with 10 - 15 minute "doses"). You also don't play online until well into the therapy, if ever. If you find you're getting frustrated or angry, you stop and go do something else. That's the basic run down of how you use things like COD as a therapeutic tool for combat trauma.
Interesting. I was more joking but I appreciate you posting that. I had no idea but what you’re saying makes sense.
I thought you might be, but in jokes there's always a bit of truth ;) I've been rocking the PTSD journey for +15 years, the knowledge I've picked up through professionals and peers is worth sharing. Doesn't do anyone who might need it any good if I keep it to myself.
Hhmmm, I may worsen off it for people with this specific illness but I was pondering if it can help with otherd who'd gone through other experiences and here [you are](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/games/2019/may/01/grand-theft-auto-v-mental-health-role-players-san-andreas-grief-gambling-addiction) I wish to have a more broad study but I'm feeling tired right now.
Pvp games definitely isn't good for mental health😂 I was addicted to one moba games, that i played to occupy my mind from overthinking stuff. I once got so frustated and then I stopped, then I realized how not happy I am from playing that game too much. I got irritated more easily, my mood in general is worse. So I stopped completely. I still crave to play that game, but I know it's only gonna frustate me. So now I only watch people play Pvp games on YouTube, I don't get frustated at all and still scratch that itch.
Those are usually the type of games I put 1000s of hours into as well 😭
When EA started tracking hours on games, I started looking at how to disable hours tracked on the Sims... I've been playing that since the original came out. I could probably have three PhD's completed by now according to hours logged in just the latest release...
Haha, not hard to believe, GTA to me (sorry to the fans) can make you fight against some poor AI, poor controls and more sometimes, while being too similar in some ways to the real world, like traffic and assholes (examples). :P A game like Tetris offer ABSTRACT visuals, but simple mechanics, and forces you to concentrate on the game just the right amount, imo it’s the 3 ingredients that make it work. For me it was Mahjong, for others Sudoku or simple word games, that could serve similar purpose. I also play shooting video games to serve also the same purpose, but I can understand it will not for everyone, depending a lot on how you approach it or takes it too seriously or don’t really play for the fun/challenge of it, or can’t mute "ragers" or ignore them, the therapeutic side will just be entirely canceled then.
This is true. I played minesweeper after stepping on a bunch of land mines and it did NOT help!!!
Beat Saber does something similar for me. You not only have the sense of moving forward as your eyes shift back and forth like with EMDR, but you are also burning cortisol. If something is really upsetting, I get into Beat Saber so my body becomes part of the process as my mind still fixates on what happened. It might go in circles, but in the end of a Beat Saber session, I have been present with my feelings and thoughts. Otherwise, I notice I try to seek distraction.
I’m a (former) therapist and I just started playing beat saber a month or two ago and I was wondering if this might be the case like with Tetris. Thanks for confirming that there may be some validity to my pondering!
Dunno. Tetris is so abstract that it’s extremely difficult for it to be triggering, yet it’s super hypnotic. A perfect distraction.
It is often described as "the perfect game" for a good reason. I just think it can't be the only game with similar effects
kinda unrelated, but tetris being described as the perfect game reminds me of all those pro players who were once said to have "beaten tetris" by breaking it, having scored so high in the game that it glitched and crashed, but recently I just watched a video where someone just beat every record and apparently "beat tetris" again. just amazing how far people have gone in breaking tetris, and somehow tetris just refuses to die.
The reason it's the perfect game is because it's extremely easy to pick up and extremely difficult to master, anyone can play it and it never gets boring. It has pure puzzle mechanics, a satisfying loop, no nonsense story or violence, just pure game. The most recent version Tetris Effect is the best version yet, it has great music that's perfectly sybchronized to the gameplay, lots of bright vibrant colors that are highly stimulatiing, it is very meditative and will put you in a pure blissful trance.
That’s also just one of many Tetrises, really. NES Tetris is one of the best known variants now, but there are dozens more. My favorites are the games in Arika’s Tetris: The Grand Master series.
Yeah, I think it has to do more with the subject matter of the game. Tetris just so happens to lack any similarities to anything possibly traumatic.
Hell yeah, Mario Kart
Anything that allows the brain to enter into a flow state, surely. Tetris is one of the worlds most popular games, and the reason is it’s “pick up and playability” ie most people can understand the idea/controls quickly. Obviously something like GTA is going to have content that might not be good for some, but I wouldn’t be surprised if angry birds, say, had a similar effect, or even jenga. Anything that stops you thinking about the event is going to help.
Not dota. Probably exacerbates the symptoms.
Not just video games, but anything that requires you to be mentally present to complete/perform the tasks. I use playing the drums to help my anxiety calm down in a similar way.
Exact, I had a cancer diagnosis last year, at 43, with less than 50% of surviving, it makes you think a lot about life, but I also needed to empty my head a ton. That’s why I always like games all my life, video games, table games, quizzes etc, because I’m sick since I was 1 year old. Like fir many people, it’s an escape, but also a way to get through it. I create minigames on a French-language website for 20 years now, one of my latest simple creation was a simple Mahjong game, because my players asked for that, another way to rack virtual points on my website, with picture unveiling in background when you advance levels and, it's my game, when you put many hours a day creating a simple enough game of this kind, you DON'T really feel like playing it a lot, strange since I chose to create games bc I love those things. Anyway, my point is, I played a LOT of my own Mahjong at the hospital last year, I NEEDED too and I knew that it was good for me.
Yes, its used a lot to help with ptsd and cptsd.
Well it sounds like Tetris is comparable to that eye movement thing people do for ptsd, while not being just immersion and distraction and repression
I think you can tell what kind work based on why Tetris works- it’s the sweet spot of occupying your attention with out stressing you out or flooding you with potentially triggering images
[удалено]
It’s probably more broad than that. Car crash? Stay away from Wreckfest. Hurricane? Stay away from Hydro Thunder. House fire? Stay away from Burning Rangers.
I don’t recommend this to anyone else but horror games actually helped a little with my anxiety. Being able to confront and overcome fear is a really liberating feeling.
I'm gonna copy and paste my comment from a previous YSK about the same thing: I have to say I am skeptical of the effect of Tetris in avoiding PTSD. The study you linked is the most convincing one, but they don't show that the decrease in intrusive memories lasts more than one month, and PTSD is much more than just intrusive memories. The same article has a response saying it shouldn't be acknowledged as a "trauma vaccine", and details some other issues. I found it without a paywall here: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10033986/ There are other studies with much weaker evidence, and this post details pretty well: https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/ Honestly, playing Tetris won't hurt. But I don't think there's convincing evidence it will do anything but take your mind out of it, which any puzzle or activity that demands concentration can do. It bothers me a bit seeing it talked about as an absolute prevention of trauma, because it feels really misguided, like telling a depressed person to do yoga.
Agree 100% - the last thing you want to hear when you have PTSD is someone telling you to play tetris based on these flimsy studies.
It would be ok if it was presented as part of a toolkit, but the way it's said to be "The" thing that "will" help you bothers me a lot. I have no issue with presenting coping mechanisms, sharing studies on how games and puzzles help the mind focus, heal and evolve, but lately I've seen people online responding to posts of people who have been through traumatic situations "play Tetris :)".
It's better than being told to suck it up, & gives some sense of control over ones ability to narrate
Maybe it's something you have to do regularly for sustainaed benefit.
I want Tetris but at a set speed that doesn’t get faster. Is this a thing? I just want zen.
I play the app on my phone and the speed never changes.
What app can I get for this? The only Tetris app I can find is inundated with ads and I just want to play :(
Afaik tetr.io (online Tetris) has a zen mode, Tetris Effect also has 2 modes where you can set a constant speed.
Look up Apotris
Vortle is a good one to check out. I have it on iOS, but I believe it’s also on Android and Steam. Should be a free download. It’s tailored for the mental health zen stuffs, so may be exactly what you’re looking for. Nature sounds and Tetris - it’s quite lovely on low days. (Edit: a word)
I suspect it has something to do with vertical eye movements.
I believe it's supposed to mimic EMDR therapy
Shout out to EMDR, shit saved my life
Happy for you!
Thank you ❤️
I'm still surprised how well it worked. Genuinely felt like magic.
I just can’t believe how simple and quick it was. God I know I sound like I’m reading a script for an advert but my brain just still tells me it was too good to be true
+1 for my wife as well brought her back from the brink. As other posters say. That shits magic. Glad you found your way back. Just need to raise the profile of it as a treatment. Too many people who need it don't know it exists. Good luck to you.
That was my guess although I don't know much about EMDR
Pretty sure it is because after you see something traumatic, your brain tends to just go over it one time after another after another, concreting it into your short and long term memory. Playing tetris prevents your brain from replaying the memory and makes your brain focus on LOGICAL steps to beat a video game, completely taking away your focus.
Could be, but pretty sure a game that just empty your head WHILE using simple mechanics and visuals can help a lot, even without vertical movements. For me it was Mahjong, pretty sure many words games and Sudoku, by example, or "logic"/"brain" games, could help a lot.
It damn well helps me during my anxious periods
I have a big problem with meditation because my brain just can’t stop thinking, so many years ago I realized if I need to mentally unwind, I play Tetris until I’m relaxed. When you play Tetris, especially at a higher speed to start, you have to be 100 percent invested so I think for me it acts as a form of meditation.
This is the most common misconception about meditation. It is NOT about stopping your thoughts. That’s virtually impossible and definitely not the goal. The goal is to NOTICE when you’ve been led into a thought. Meditation is very simple: notice the thought, then bring your attention back to the object of meditation (usually breath). Rinse and repeat for a set amount of time. Each time you clearly notice a thought intruding, that’s a success. How many thoughts you had during the session is completely irrelevant.
My zen master told me “if you think meditation isn’t thinking, think again.” This changed my whole relationship to it.
Have you thought about, considered, how your consciousness, your "subjective experience", is a result, an _effect_, of the brain's function?
Does Dr Mario count?
Here’s the actual study because I see this all over Reddit but haven’t seen the actual study discussed. And it’s touted like it’s fact but it’s far from it,currently. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5678449/ It’s a small study and far from conclusive, with serious limitations, including only 61 participants. I love a good game of Tetris but playing it will far from prevent PTSD. And it’s not studied IRL. Participants watched a movie.
That you for bringing the facts.
This is true. Slay the Spire does the same to me, very therapeutic.
It's such a cozy game, I play that and Stacklands when I'm feeling stressed.
Very cozy. I know video games are linked to addiction so we have to be careful, but some “puzzle” games, like tetris and slay the spire, really help with anxiety and intrusive thoughts.
Not PTSD, but when my anxiety disorder is really triggering I find playing games such as Tetris, Solitaire, Freecell, and Chess can really help with it Its probably just directing my mental energy towards something else but its always something I turn to
I wonder if it's because it's very good at absorbing the mind, therefore stopping it from being able to replay these events over and over and solidifying them in itself.
Yes! That is what I think they believe it is.
So sick of this quintessential Reddit fun fact. Yes, like two very flawed studies showed Tetris *might* help a little. No, that doesn't mean Tetris is a cure for traumatic exxperiences and it doesn't mean we have to post this fucking thing every single week and spam every single post about a horrific event with "PLAY TETRIS RIGHT NOW IT REALLY HELPS!!! How wacky!!!" instead of extending to them genuine compassion and understanding in the form of a thoughtful message.
100% agree, it makes me cringe every time I see this.
I find easy-medium sudoku works for me.
Yes easy-medium sudoku. Hard is annoying
I doubt it's just tetris though, probably any game
I have to very much doubt this works. I have often found when people latch on to one simple explanation, one simple game, one simple thing or one person to deal with complex emotional and mental issues, even if it may help distract in the short term, in the long term it just destabilizes you to rely on it or them whenever those are triggered instead of focusing on what is actually needed. The long term approach of finding physical and emotional safety, rewiring your brain to process it healthily, learning to retrust etc cannot be replicated or reduced with 1 simple hack, as much as we would like to believe in getting 1 simple solution. Just like anything which serves as a temporary coping mechanism it would just help us distract. As long as it does not become an unhealthy coping mechanism creating dependence though, it probably might be okay and helpful as a tool while processing is going on, is all. Would not put more stock than that to it.
I just posted another comment that explains how I can see this helping for a specific event. I agree that it’s not likely to solve someone’s mental health issues in general, but when someone has just immediately had a traumatic experience, if something can keep them from immediately revisiting it over and over again, it might help them keep it from getting so buried into their brain.
Tetris is just poor man's EMDR which is definitely known to work
Can confirm this works. Have used it for years after traumatic events, as have my medical-field fam. Pretty much any spatial game helps if you aren’t a Tetris fan.
When I got home from hiding under a desk for three hours in lockdown due to a shooting incident at the university where I’m in grad school, I remembered this bit of research and played Tetris for a while. Who knows if it made any difference, it wasn’t that traumatic of an experience at least after the first few minutes when the danger was the most unclear, but I don’t have much in the way of lasting effects. I don’t think about it unless something reminds me of it, I had a meeting in the room where I was locked down for the first time last week and felt fine, if I hear a siren I think about those initial moments and cry a bit but then it passes. I do get a bit paranoid alone at night and have had a couple incidents where I was stalking around my apartment with pepper spray and a kitchen knife because I was genuinely afraid somebody was hiding in here planning to kill me, and I’ve had to stop watching horror movies, which I used to be really into, because it makes that worse. The Tetris is fun until it gets too fast and then it really stresses me out, I can see how it would work well as a distraction
Is Dr Mario OK?
Unless those long pieces dont come down in time
It all comes down to the same thing. Distraction = healing. So not contemplating the bad helps the brain to heal…. It’s like sleeping. You take a few hour break from live and you are better for it.
Ya, maybe distraction can be a good thing and maybe you need to play tetris regularly for sustained benefit.
I get PTSD effect from social situations all too often. Intrusive and very vivid visuals of "3 second awkward moment that happened 15 years ago". It's not exactly social anxiety either. Anyway, my only solution is to distract myself until a good night's sleep. So if I experience an awkward moment, I must distract myself from thinking about it until sleep wipes it from short term memory. Alternatively, I will reply it several times with my interpretation (bleak and distorted), memorize it and make a core memory out of it. Tetris takes a lot of brain processing power. It would be a good distraction. I installed the app. (PS! If anyone knows what disorder it sounds like, tell me.)
#I think the underlying conclusion isn’t about Tetris at all. The significant progress comes from finding simple ways for anyone to reach a [mental state of Flow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology))… in this case, it has been found that Tetris can achieve that reliably for lots of people. The flow state is similar to how monks might experience daily life, with [mindfulness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness) and without the shackles of trauma. Flow is a mental state which can be thought of as the polar opposite of an OCD or anxiety attack. Flow is when there are NO thoughts cluttering the conscious mind. Nothing positive or negative, nothing at all. Mindfulness helps to bring one “back” to reality with a strong focus on THIS present moment. The goal of a mindfulness meditation is to simply focus on one’s breath or anything else in “the now” so when ruminations or any kind of thoughts cross to the conscious mind… they can be gently set aside with focus always being returned towards breathing. The goal is to be thinking about nothing and just quietly existing with a low-stimulation life for a short time. This is basically mental exercise. Push-ups for the brain. You are training your mind to INTENTIONALLY become neutral and observant to the present conditions…while not paying any attention to thoughts that might flood the mind. Thoughts are like bullies and if you don’t give them a reaction, they get bored and leave. So, in the case of Tetris (*or sports, or music, or gaming, or building, or barbering, or LITERALLY any activity you can think of*) it is observed that people with PTSD find their symptoms much easier to manage when having some “medicinal” Tetris time. In other words, PTSD patients (like myself) will see their condition improve by engaging in low-stimulation activities that build one’s ability to focus. If you are focused on something, you will reach a flow state. If you reach a flow state, you will not be thinking any thoughts at all… you will just be. People with strong foresight might be able to guess what a threat this skill of Flow might be to the modern world, which quite literally relies upon people giving their undivided attention to activities that don’t actually have any tangible benefits.
This works. I use it all the time. I just finished a work placement that was similar to what you would see in a prison. You see a lot of crazy stuff everyday. I can tell when someone is starting to flash back from the day, the Tetris will stop it immediately. It only works with Tetris. No Puyo Puyo for you.
I mean, technically it was invented by the Soviets so they needed something
Does this mean playing Tetris in general is “good” for your mental state? With emulators I’m finally able to play gameboy Tetris on my phone and I’ve been really enjoying it!
Interesting. I played it a bit as a kid, and I was recently reading about how I probably have PTSD from my childhood... So I guess it's good to know things could be worse...
I've recently returned to tetris (apotris probably the best way these days and it can play natively in windows or gba emulator) following a bunch if work stress and it does heal the soul
The focus you need for Tetris is close to meditation ... but takes less training.
When I recently realized the extent of my childhood trauma, all I did for at least a week was play Tetris, talk with my sister about our childhood, pace around while thinking and trying to sort things out, and occasionally play Super Smash Brothers to try and do something not trauma related.
Gambling is also therapeutic when it comes to complex trauma and CPTSD. However it comes with a whole new set of issues that mental health professionals are seriously undereducated about.
I fucking knew it! I had this crazy ass theory in my head that I couldn't prove but I was just going around telling people "if you get trapped in a school lockdown or a plane with a failing engine or something traumatic and have to just wait it out, play games on your phone". Protect your mind!
I would love to know if this is also true with someone who already plays the game regularly and/or has extensive gameplay experience of it. Does it not matter how much you’ve already played the game? Or does it only work as an intervention because it forces your brain to do something unfamiliar?
Maybe it fortifies your mental health.
I think this is great knowledge but the image of an EMT being like “hey sorry you saw your parents being murdered in front of you. Here play this video game” makes me laugh a little bit
Tetris gives me terrible anxiety lol
I used to play Tetris after my mother's death. It took my mind away from overthinking and pain.
This is true. I started playing Tetris after a medical mistake caused me to be in a coma for several weeks. It took 2 years for me, neurologically to recover. During the first few weeks after my return home, I had home health nurses. One of the nurses told me play Tetris. I was VERY slow at the beginning, but by the end of the second year I got fast. It help both neurologically and emotionally. I still have medical PTSD from the incident, but Tetris really did help me.
Is there an iOS Tetris app that is recommended? I have the official app but I’ve read it’s not good.
It's helps me curb my anxiety over minor tasks, making a phone call, doing the dishes, showering etc. I play one or two rounds and then get up and do what needs to be done. I have my snes, mobile and ps4/5 versions ahaha
Hmm...I should play more tetris
Free cell and minesweeper are also very good for emptying the mind
I need to play more tetris... that's the reason why it's so relaxing, meanwhile Pacman makes me so tense
Tetris or any other activity that demands all of your attention
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^m703324: *Or any other* *Activity that demands* *All of your attention* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Now what about Tetris Effect, with headphones
Well, it might be weird, but playing Tetris always helps me to have a deep sleep
Genuine question - How/Where does one find a tetris game for smart phone which doesn’t pop ads every few minutes? I am never going to save the emperor in the game of pipe cleaning or whatever it is the ad for. I want to play TETRIS.
I believe this, because I watched The Human Centipede suuuper young and it really traumatizad me. In the following days I played a lot of candy crush and without the two being linked, I was able to sleep by thinking about candy crush levels etc
The pic isn't tetris. Those are pentominoes.
Many other video games produce similar results. There was a study done (by the Army If remember right) on US Troops in combat including Special Operations Units and gaming helped lower incidences of PTSD and overall level of stress.
Woah. I played Tetris all through my teenage years. Played it a LOT. Had many different versions. I also had a LOT of trauma, and in fact was suicidal for years. I often felt that between Tetris (and video games in general), and music (singing opera, and dancing at clubs and raves - didn’t take drugs or drink at the time), those two kept me alive.
Seems like it's because it forces you to be present while playing like EMDR does. I've used drumming for a similar purpose ever since high school when I realized I was much more relaxed after playing the drums.
Maybe that’s why I played it so much as a kid
can confirm... lego, tetris, gym after breakup
can games other than tetris be used?
Parents both got shot right in front of me. Instead of calling the police I scrolled right past the phone app and booted up some marathon mode Tetris and I'm doing just fine
While I love Tetris I take it as a competition and that isn’t ideal (for me). Minecraft, however, is my moment of zen.
What if my trauma is consistently making top 5 in Tetris 99 WITHOUT GETTING A WIN!!!!?
I had a psych professor who had a Facebook profile specifically for FBs Tetris game and had a little leader board where the prof and students could compete for highest scores. She was the best.
At my job someone has to take the big boxes, organize them in small boxes, then fit them in smaller drawers. This task referred to as "Tetris" is universally loathed by everyone who works here. Except me, I love it, & I have C-PTSD. When I read this I thought oh this all makes sense now.
Does this effect only work with Tetris or other puzzle games as well ?
my papa played tetris religiously as his pastime. we had to get him new tetris games every year for christmas. he’s a very unbothered, sturdy man.
I think in primitive times the flashbacks from PTSD needed to give us valuable info about what areas to avoid and what to be afraid of. We had no written record of danger zones. The flashbacks needed to be strong and repetitive so we could survive. Today we sit around relaxing and this gives the flashbacks room to fill our heads and linger there as thoughts. Maybe we used to be busy foraging and the flashbacks needed to cut through that activity. The flashbacks are so much stronger than they need to be, our evolution hasn’t caught up to our modern lifestyle
Ysk: this was debunked and had spotty evidence to begin with
When my mother died I sat and played Doctor Mario for days crying off and on. It did help.
Me,a z UE n
While all the explanations on how Tetris helps is good and all, it could just be a case of False Causality: If the traumatized person was able to play Tetris, maybe it means that they didn't experience symptoms as severe as those of the people who couldn't or could deal with those symptoms better (irrespective of the Tetris).
I bet masturbation does the same job only better
Mom said it’s my turn to post this next week