Do you ever have unwanted images, worries, or memories pop into your mind and refuse to leave? These intrusive thoughts can be distressing and feel impossible to control. They play on a loop, draining your energy and peace. But what if you could gently push them aside by giving your brain a more compelling task?

Welcome to Pattern Weaver, a free, science-based game designed to disrupt the hold of intrusive thoughts and imagery. This visually engaging puzzle game acts as a powerful intervention, helping to quiet your mind by focusing its resources on a calming, creative activity.

The Science: How Does “Pattern Weaver” Work?

This game is based on a fascinating psychological phenomenon often called the “Tetris Effect,” which leverages the power of visuospatial cognitive tasks.

Your brain has a limited amount of processing power, especially for visual and spatial information (visuospatial processing). Intrusive thoughts, particularly those that are image-based like flashbacks or vivid worries, are very demanding on this system.

Pattern Weaver works by introducing a competing task that is even more demanding and engaging for your brain’s visuospatial channels. By focusing on rotating and fitting the falling patterns, you are actively:

1. Competing for Resources: The game requires so much of your visual attention that there are fewer “cognitive resources” left for the intrusive thought to sustain itself. The unwanted image literally gets crowded out.
2. Disrupting Reconsolidation: For intrusive memories, this technique can help disrupt the process where the memory is “re-saved” in your brain, potentially reducing its intensity over time.
3. Inducing Flow: The engaging nature of the game can help induce a “flow state,” a highly focused state of mind where you are fully absorbed in an activity, providing a temporary and welcome respite from distressing thoughts.

You are not fighting the thought; you are simply giving your brain something more beautiful and constructive to focus on.

Who Can Benefit from This Game?

This tool can be a powerful coping mechanism for anyone who wants to manage:

• Unwanted intrusive thoughts or mental images.
• Vivid worries or “worst-case scenario” daydreams.
• Distressing visual memories or flashbacks.
• The mental component of certain cravings or urges.
• General feelings of a “cluttered” or overactive mind.

How to Play Pattern Weaver

1. Glowing “thread patterns” will fall from the top of the loom.
2. Move: Tap or click on the left and right sides of the screen.
3. Rotate: Tap or click in the center of the screen.
4. Drop: Swipe or drag the pattern down to place it faster.
5. Your goal is to complete horizontal lines of thread from edge to edge. Completed lines will vanish, making space for new patterns.

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

This game is an educational tool designed to be a helpful coping strategy. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a form of therapy. For persistent, severe, or distressing intrusive thoughts, especially those related to trauma (PTSD) or OCD, it is essential to consult with a licensed mental health professional. Use this tool at your own risk.

Scientific References

The use of visuospatial tasks to interfere with intrusive imagery is a well-researched intervention with a strong evidence base.

1. Holmes, E. A., James, E. L., Coode-Bate, T., & Deeprose, C. (2009). Can playing the computer game “Tetris” reduce the build-up of flashbacks for trauma? A proposal from cognitive science. PLoS ONE, 4(1), e4153. This is a foundational paper proposing that the visuospatial demands of a game like Tetris can interfere with the consolidation of traumatic memories into flashbacks.
2. Iyadurai, L., Blackwell, S. E., Meiser-Stedman, R., Watson, P. C., Bonsall, M. B., Geddes, J. R., Nobre, A. C., & Holmes, E. A. (2017). Preventing intrusive memories after trauma via a brief intervention involving Tetris computer game play in the emergency department: a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial. Molecular Psychiatry, 23(3), 674–682. This clinical trial provided strong evidence that playing the game in the hours after a traumatic event could significantly reduce the frequency of intrusive memories.
3. Kessler, K., Schmidt, A. C., & an O’Shea, R. P. (2020). The “Tetris effect” and its relation to cognitive-perceptual and clinical phenomena. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 736. A review that explores the broad cognitive impact of engaging in demanding visuospatial tasks.