“When the player becomes stressed or fearful, the game will increase in intensity and difficulty. When the player calms himself, the game returns to its default state.” Game designer Erin Reynolds

There are many different sorts of video games, and many studies on their psychological and social impacts – research that is often critical or conflicting.

Articles on Psych Central, for example, include Brain Scans Show Violent Video Games Alter Brain Activity, by Rick Nauert PhD and Video Games May Not Enhance Cognitive Skills After All, By Traci Pedersen.

Gaming is not of any particular interest to me, but I was intrigued with a recent newspaper report about Erin Reynolds, a USC cinematic arts graduate student, and her team who are developing a video game that “uses heart-rate sensors to help players learn to stay calm as they wind their way through a decrepit house filled with their characters’ horrific memories.

“She believes her psychological thriller game, Nevermind, can help people develop ways to cope with stress.”

[From USC competition pushes the limits of modern video games, By Matt Stevens, Los Angeles Times December 11, 2011.]

The Nevermind site describes the group’s upcoming game:

“You can’t fix stress – it is a constant force in our everyday lives that spans geographic borders and cultures. However, you can fix the unhealthy, knee-jerk responses many people have to stress and prepare people to face inevitable conflict. This is exactly what Nevermind intends to do.

“In this vein, the player’s goal is not to remain in a constant state of calm, rather, it is to force himself to proceed into scenarios he knows will cause stress or fear, experience the natural reactions such scenarios prompt, and then quickly temper his response to return back to a state of calm. In other words, Nevermind rewards ‘true’ bravery.

“When the player becomes stressed or fearful, the game will increase in intensity and difficulty. When the player calms himself, the game returns to its default state. If the player is unable to calm himself, then the game becomes increasingly more difficult and intense…”

Nevermind Developer Video: What is Nevermind?

The site also emphasizes the game is “not a self-­help program that simply lectures to the player how to handle stress.

“Rather, it leads him to personally discover how to manage the stress in a way that is specific to them – and provides plenty of opportunities to practice, refine, and make a habit of employing these healthy coping strategies both in and out of the game.”

[The photo of Erin Reynolds is from her site Reynoldsphobia. She also helped develop the Disney title Epic Mickey (for the Nintendo Wii), among other titles.]

There are also other reports about game or game-like software that can address mental health issues.

Attention retraining

Software that delivers attention retraining – “like really boring computer games,” as Nader Amir, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, describes it, has helped a number of patients diagnosed with social anxiety.

[From Relief from anxiety may be as close as your BlackBerry, Adriana Barton, Globe and Mail, Apr. 03, 2011.]

While the imagery in Nevermind is richly detailed, other games can be beneficial even with crude graphics, like this screen image from Bejeweled 3 by PopCap Games.

The author of a newspaper article writes about Gail Nichols, who has suffered from depression for years.

“When the 49-year-old resident of St. Marys, Kan., cannot sleep, she falls back on a form of entertainment that is gaining increasing credibility as a medical intervention: video games.

“Nichols said she discovered the mental health benefits of video games some years ago during a particularly bad spell of depression.

“She had just started playing a game called Bejeweled, which requires players to move gems into rows based on their color. When she could not get to sleep one night and was tormented by mental pain, she said, she turned on the computer and played the game for hours.”

“In the day, you can find someone to talk to,” Nichols said. “Games are a big help in getting through to the next morning.”

“Nichols liked the game so much that she got in touch with the manufacturer, PopCap Games. The inventors of the game were surprised to hear about its possible mental health benefits, and the company decided to study Bejeweled’s untapped potential systematically.

“In a preliminary study that PopCap commissioned and funded, researchers found that volunteers who played Bejeweled displayed improved mood and heart rhythms compared with volunteers who weren’t playing. The preliminary study was published this year in the Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine.”

[From Researchers Explore Mental Health Benefits of Video Games, By Shankar Vedantam, Washington Post, August 18, 2009.]

Restoring or enhancing cognitive function

There are also a number of research studies on the potentials for games to enhance brain abilities. Here is an excerpt of one:

“Stanford professor Dr. Shelli Kesler and colleagues recently published a study in the journal Brain Injury demonstrating improvements in cognition following Lumosity training in childhood cancer survivors.

“Twenty-three pediatric cancer survivors completed 40 sessions of Lumosity training. Participants showed significantly increased processing speed, cognitive flexibility, and memory recall. In addition, brain imaging results showed increased activity in the pre-frontal cortex compared to baseline.”

[From "Study shows Lumosity training increases frontal lobe function" By Joe Hardy, Lumosity blog December 23, 2010.]

The Lumosity site has a number of other research studies about their games (mostly for people without cognitive problems) and brain training programs that “strategically target brain areas such as memory, attention and processing speed.” The site says over 14 million people use their programs.

Also see my related post: Better Thinking: Brain Games For Cognitive Training.

Depression, Social Anxiety, PTSD

In her article FWD News: Video Games Promoting Mental Health, Nathalie Caron reports on research showing games can help with a variety of mental health issues.

“Individuals dealing with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety have been found to find help though video games. Backed up by research in the field of mental health, these psychological conditions have benefited from exposure to a variety of games.

“For example, two studies have found exergames to contribute to fighting depression in older adults.

“Another researcher demonstrates the impact of ‘hardcore’ gamers on the psyche of soldiers, while one company lead by an expert in psychology finds a link between a simple game and reducing social anxiety.

“Dr. Patricia Kahlbaugh, associate professor of psychology at Southern Connecticut State University, presented her work at the 2010 Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting.

“She revealed the effects of playing Wii on loneliness and mood in elderly individuals, particularly games such as virtual tennis, bowling and golf.

Kahlbaugh explained that recreating the experiences which these older adults previously enjoyed through the video games seemed to allow them to “regain the psychological benefits such activities once afforded them.”

But those kinds of emotional and mental health benefits may work for younger people as well. Maybe teens with depression can benefit, for example.

The article also notes researchers “are turning to video games to help people dealing with anxiety treat themselves. Using an experimental method called ‘attention retraining’ individuals can curb their tendency to dwell on the negative.” [See another reference to Attention retraining above.]

“In one game, players can see a face with a neutral expression flash on the screen at the same time as a disgusted face. A millisecond later, user must identify a letter that appears on the same portion of the screen where the neutral face was. With repetition, the player will begin to ignore the negative image and look to the neutral zone for answers, which has been found to ease anxiety.”

…

Wii tennis game image from mynintendowiigames.tumblr.com

Nintendo Wii consoles

Wii Sports games

Article: Overcoming creative anxiety: Eric Maisel on fear of success

Book: Mastering Creative Anxiety: 24 Lessons for Writers, Painters, Musicians, and Actors from America’s Foremost Creativity Coach.

Also see my Anxiety Relief Solutions site for a variety of products and programs.

~ ~ ~

“I used to drink several cups of coffee a day, but I kicked the habit a long time ago because I found that caffeine made me too jittery and unfocused.”

That is a quote by Steve Pavlina, author of one of the most popular, and financially successful, sites and blogs dedicated to personal development, StevePavlina.com – and author of the book Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth.

He notes on his site, “When I drink coffee, my activity level soars — I barrel through tasks in rapid succession.

“But at the end of the day, I have to admit I didn’t accomplish anything of major value. Caffeine causes me to overload on busywork like email, web surfing, socializing, and other unproductive tasks.”

Health risks from caffeine

Deanne Repich, founder of the National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, writes in her article The Dangers of Caffeine for Anxiety Sufferers that over forty research studies “have shown that excessive caffeine can be harmful to your health,” and can cause Rapid or irregular heartbeat; Restlessness; Nervousness; Insomnia and other symptoms.

Repich notes these are “fight or flight” reactions, which are “designed to protect you from harm. Excessive amounts of caffeine can trigger the body’s fight or flight response even though no real danger exists.”

Those body reactions can also stimulate or increase anxiety.

Paraliminal CDs

Pavlina writes that he “missed the action boost that caffeine gave me” but has found that Paraliminal CDs by Learning Strategies Corporation “have done a beautiful job of filling this void. After every session I enjoy a lingering aftereffect that usually lasts a couple hours.

“The Paraliminals provide a noticeable concentration boost that allows me to steadily flow through my work while still maintaining my priorities — that delightful state of flow.

“For me this effect translates directly into practical, down-to-earth results. During a period of a few weeks when I used Paraliminals once or twice a day, I completed several key projects that required a lot of focus and concentration, definitely much faster and at a higher level of quality than I would have otherwise.”

The image is for one of several Paraliminal programs: Peak Performance.

Paraliminal programs make use of Holosync audio technology by Centerpointe Research Institute. Visit the site to get a free demo CD.

Also see articles by Bill Harris, the Centerpointe director, about the technology.

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Excerpt from lyrics (based on Emily Dickinson) in video: Fearing – by The Amygdaloids

While I was fearing it came
But with less of the fear because
Fearing it so long
Had almost made it dear
There is a fitting dismay
An appropriate despair
Tis harder knowing that fear is due than
Knowing it is here

Continued: Anxiety and the Amygdala

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She said, “I let my emotions and feelings be my guide. I find the things that trouble me the most, the things I wish I could change, are what I need to explore. And it’s always good to start with something that scares me.”

Being scared may be indispensable for creative expression

Fear is a simple label for a variety of experiences, some helpful for artists, but others – like anxiety – limiting or corrosive.

Continued in post: Creating and Fear.

Eric Maisel provides helpful ideas about fear vs anxiety over success. He wrote:

Hello, everybody:

Yesterday I addressed the Tri-Valley branch of the California Writers Club on the subject of “overcoming creative anxiety.” I described 24 sources of anxiety in the lives of creative people and 22 anxiety-management strategies.

In the question-and-answer period that followed, a fellow asked, “Can you tell us a little bit more about ‘the fear of success’?”

In fact, I had used the phrase ‘the anxiety of success’ in my talk; and it struck me that the phrases ‘the fear of success’ and ‘the anxiety of success’ were very different one  from the other. Language is so interesting!

‘Fear of success’ is a future-looking idea: it is about your relationship to the success that might come your way one day. ‘Anxiety of success’ is a now-looking idea: it is about your relationship to the success you are currently experiencing.

Whereas ‘fear’ and ‘anxiety’ may be relatively interchangeable words in some sentences, ‘the fear of success’ and ‘the anxiety of success’ are not interchangeable.

Both are real and both are problematic; but they are different. It is the difference between an addict worrying that at some point in the future he may encounter a trigger that causes him to slip versus suddenly finding himself surrounded by temptation right now.

‘Fear of success’ can be dealt with cognitively: you notice how your thoughts are weakening your resolve and you replace those self-sabotaging thoughts with thoughts that serve you.

The anxiety that arises from actual success, on the other hand, must be dealt with behaviorally. You must do something with the new offers coming in, the fan mail, the interview requests, the invitations to excess and distraction.

Try not to fear success. It is true that success may bring with it some new anxieties, but what aspect of living doesn’t?

Let’s raise a glass to [a year] filled with our successes. May all the hard work that each of you is doing pay dividends. If we all cross our fingers for each other, that will amount to thousands of crossed fingers!

Best, Eric

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look at my class on overcoming creative anxiety at dailyom.com. Start it when you like and pay what you want.

[From an issue of his newsletter: Dec 20, 2009]

His related book: Mastering Creative Anxiety: 24 Lessons for Writers, Painters, Musicians, and Actors from America’s Foremost Creativity Coach

Eric Maisel is also author of the Meaning Solution Program.

Related:
Articles by Eric Maisel
Managing anxiety articles
Anxiety Relief Solutions site

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Artwork at top: Fear of Success, by toastedghost. Used by permission.

Eric Maisel, fear of success, success anxiety, creative anxiety

Creating art has always been a way to channel emotional intensity.

In a world where destructive acting out is all too frequent (and meticulously documented and sensationalized on the news and TMZ), sublimating painful feelings by expressing them in the form of artistic expression allows the artist to choose to “act out” in a way that is constructive.

Many creative people carry the belief that their pain is the locus of their creativity, and worry that they will lose their creativity if they work through their inner conflicts or let go of suffering.

These artists hold onto their pain as if it were a lifeline, even finding ways to enhance it, leading to some patterns of behavior that won’t “turn off” even when they want them to. The “source” becomes the obstacle.

Continued in her article Affect Regulation and the Creative Artist.

[Photo: "King of Pain" musician Sting.]

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Actor, Director, Writer, (and Supermodel) Paulina Porizkova comments on using an antidepressant:

“I started taking Lexapro after my anxiety attacks came back and, for all intents and purposes, practically crippled me.

“I’ve always had anxiety attacks, or panic attacks as some know them, but after years of learning how to deal with them, I thought I had them under control.

“While my kids were little, the anxiety attacks even subsided to the point where they hardly bothered me. But at the stroke of 40, they came back worse than ever…

“I spent two years with my lover Lexapro; the two most mellow years of my life. My immediate frustrations were comforted, my resentments muffled, my anxiety calmed…But I was also insulated against or from fun things like my creativity and sexuality.”

From article Paulina Porizkova on ending her “love affair” with Lexapro.

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She points out that stress is universal and experienced by everyone, and that “Being bright, talented, creative, motivated, smart, ambitious, and even good looking can add to the stress in your life.”

“I still have pretty much the same fears I had as a kid. I’m not sure I’d want to give them up; a lot of these insecurities fuel the movies I make.” Steven Spielberg

Continued in High Ability post: Gifted, Talented, Creative, Anxious.

“Even learning for a short period of time could teach you how to reduce stress, reduce anxiety in different situations,” said clinical psychologist Dr. Susan Harden.”

See more quotes and video from ABC-TV report: “Study shows meditation is powerful medicine to conquer fears” – and video about guided imagery and biofeedback program developed by Doctors Deepak Chopra, Dean Ornish and Andrew Weil, in the post Relaxing Rhythms Guided Training Program.

~ ~ ~

Therapist Leslie Davenport on guided imagery :

“I don’t recognize myself: My body doesn’t feel the same at all…Everything has been hijacked: my vitality, my spiritual beliefs…I have no idea who I am anymore. And I’m terrified.” — Daniel

Daniel’s story is familiar to me. Having offered psychotherapy with guided imagery to hundreds of patients with severe illness and injury, I have seen how multiple losses—physical, spiritual, and psychological—stemming from a health crisis deconstruct a core sense of self, leaving them feeling like a stranger in a strange land.

Guided imagery, which incorporates relaxation training, is a natural, meditative process that reliably offers direct access to inner strengths and clarity of mind.

Continued in article Guided Imagery and Psychotherapy in Medicine, by Leslie Davenport, MS, MFT.

“Maybe I should write something first, then reward myself with coffee. Coffee and a muffin. So I need to establish the themes. Maybe a banana nut. That’s a good muffin.”

From “Adaptation” – written by (the real) Charlie Kaufman, based on the book The Orchid Thief.

In his new book Mastering Creative Anxiety, creativity coach Eric Maisel, PhD asks, “Are you creating less often than you would like? Are you avoiding your creative work altogether?

“Do you procrastinate? That’s anxiety.

“Do you resist getting to your work or marketing your work? That’s anxiety. Do you have trouble deciding which creative project to tackle? That’s anxiety. Do you find completing work hard? That’s anxiety.”

In his many years of counseling as a psychotherapist, he has found, “Anxiety regularly stops creative people in their tracks and makes their experience of creating more painful than pleasurable.

“It stops would-be creative people entirely, preventing them from realizing their dreams. Anxiety is the number one problem that creative people face — and yet few even realize it.”

In his book he describes “many of the sources of anxiety in a creative person’s life” and provides “little-known anxiety-management techniques” to help you manage that anxiety.

> Also see my Creative Mind post Creative Anxiety – So Much On The Line.

~ ~ ~

An additional perspective on creative people and anxiety comes from Charles Linden, who reports: “Over the last 12 years, through working with over 130,000 high anxiety sufferers, we have been able to collect data regarding character traits, genetics and environmental factors which has enabled us to characterize the typical profile of a person who has a predisposition to high anxiety conditions.

“Our data shows us that anxiety sufferers all share a superior level of creative intellect.”

That is from his article “Creative intellect as a marker for genetic predisposition to high anxiety conditions” – listed in my post High Ability, High Sensitivity, High Anxiety.

Charles Linden developed his self-help coaching program to help people overcome various forms of anxiety – see his site for info and many testimonials:
The Linden Method.