Playing “Tetris” Immediately After A Car Crash Can Prevent Flashbacks
Tetris After a Car Crash
According to a new study, playing the game Tetris immediately after a traumatic event, such as a car crash, may help reduce disruptive flashbacks.
Car accidents, especially ones that result in serious or lifelong injury, can result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that can haunt victims long after an accident. Uncontrollable visual memories that force the sufferer to relive the event can be very disturbing, making it impossible to focus on a task or control one’s emotions.
“Preventive interventions post trauma are lacking,” state the authors of the study. But Tetris, requires the player to align blocks of different shapes and colors into horizontal rows, may change that.
Researchers found that car crash survivors who played Tetris in the emergency room (ER) within 6 hours of a car crash had 62 percent fewer flashbacks compared with survivors who were asked to keep a written log of what happened during their time in the ER.
At Pribanic & Pribanic, our attorneys routinely represent survivors of car accidents. A big part of what we do relies on the latest research about what it means to live with PTSD and other challenges after a traumatic event.
If you or a loved one suffers from injuries as a result of another driver’s negligence, contact us online or call toll free at 1-800-392-4529 for a free case evaluation.
