A study has shown that playing video games can help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which include nightmares and severe anxiety.
Are you dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? A novel study has shown that playing video games can help reduce symptoms of the condition, which can lead to terrifying nightmares and severe anxiety. The study, published in BMC Medicine, provides “scientifically controlled evidence that a single guided digital treatment session can reduce the number of intrusive memories.”
How can video games relieve post-traumatic stress?
Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden say it can also be used safely by patients. Unpleasant and intrusive memories of a traumatic event in the form of mental images or flashbacks are the hallmark symptoms of PTSD. Avoidance, excessive tension and problems such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating are others.
The team monitored intrusive memories of trauma in 164 participants for a week. While half of the group was asked to play Tetris (a video game), the other half, or control group, was asked to listen to the radio.
At the heart of Tetris is a concept known as mental rotation. When a participant looks at an object from one angle, they can imagine what it would look like if it were rotated to a different position and could be viewed from a different angle.
Emily Holmes, a professor at Uppsala University, said that a single session of guided treatment showed positive effects, showing that “it is possible to reduce the frequency of unpleasant and intrusive memories of trauma.” Holmes noted that if trauma can be reduced with “an everyday tool that includes video games, it could be an accessible way to help many people.”
