Conversation

The title of the article reads “Tetris Helps to Reduce PTSD.” It describes an experimental study where participants play intensive bouts of Tetris after witnessing reams of horrific footage—an epileptic montage of fatal car accidents, real-life military skirmishes, and drawn-out, hollering childbirths—in the hope of interrupting the crystallization of the tortured and unrelenting memories that form the base of PTSD and like symptoms. Shinichiro grips the rolled-up article tightly, its edge leaving a circular indentation in his forehead as he pulls it away. His concentration is intense. The vein pulsing in his temple recalls someone hyperventilating.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this article. I talked to my wife about it.

What did she make of it?

I was trying to devise an idea as to how to implement the Tetris experiment in real life. I was bouncing ideas off her.

What did you come up with? It seems impossible to apply in reality.

That’s what my wife said. But I think I’ve got it.

And?

Ok. So, someone starts a company. The company’s first job is to swiftly arrive at the scene of a trauma. For example, I’m standing out there at the corner of Toriimatsu—

(Shinichiro points to the busy highway eight floors below.)

And I witness, most regrettably, a truck jack-knifing and ploughing into a group of pedestrians. I immediately call the company and report the trauma.

They’d have to get to you pretty quickly.

Ok. So, they work in conjunction with the police. They have a representative posted at every police box. They reach the trauma’s scene in a scaled-down helicopter.

Scene-of-the-trauma.

Yes. The scene of the trauma.

Then what?

They arrive and immediately quarantine me in a portable, completely-sealed box. And then I play Tetris. For six hours.

What about the other unlucky witnesses?

If they have a contract with the company, they’ll go through the same process.

So it’s like trauma insurance?

Yes. Trauma insurance.

Huh.

But. My wife alerted me to a crucial flaw in my plan.

And what’s that?

Well, if I’ve just witnessed something as horrible as a fatal car accident, the last thing I’m going to want to do is play Tetris.

Good point.

So the company must make me play it.

How do they manage that?

The representative threatens me with a gun.

They make you play Tetris at gun-point?

Yes.

Sounds traumatic.

Yes. Unpleasant but necessary.