AfterImagery · Uppsala

The science of the mind's eye.

Ett nytt Uppsalaföretag som bygger på mer än 20 års forskning. Vi omvandlar forskningen om inre bilder till enkla och skonsamma verktyg. Vi börjar med en kort, spelbaserad metod som har visat sig minska de påträngande minnesbilder som kan dyka upp efter ett trauma.

A new Uppsala company built on 20+ years of research. We turn the science of mental imagery into simple, gentle tools, beginning with a brief, game-based technique shown to reduce the intrusive memories that follow trauma.

Register your interest
The problem

One image. Again and again.

After a frightening or traumatic event, the brain can store the worst moment as a vivid mental picture that returns uninvited: a flashback.

A sound, a smell, or nothing at all brings the image back, along with the fear that came with it. The picture is brief and sensory, and it arrives unbidden; you cannot simply think your way out of it. These intrusive memories are exhausting, and they are a core part of post-traumatic stress.

Sedan vår forskning uppmärksammades i nyheterna har många hört av sig till oss, eftersom det här är deras vardag. Du är inte ensam. Det här är något verkligt och väl studerat, inte ett tecken på svaghet.Since our research reached the news, many people have written to us because this is their daily experience. You are not alone, and this is a real, studied phenomenon, not a weakness.
The method

A brief technique, with no need to retell the trauma.

The Imagery-Competing Task Intervention (ICTI) works with the brain's own limits. A vivid mental image and a visual game compete for the same mental resources, so the game can gently crowd out the flashback. Its three steps are simple: picture, pivot, play.

01

Picture

Bring the intrusive image to mind for just a moment. There's no need to describe or relive the event.

02

Pivot

Learn mental rotation, picturing how a shape turns before it moves. It's an everyday visual skill.

03

Play

Play Tetris for about twenty minutes, mentally rotating each block before it lands.

Note. ICTI targets intrusive memories specifically, not the whole of PTSD, and is designed to complement, not replace, other care.

The evidence

Brief intervention, Measured effect.

~10×
fewer intrusive memories at four weeks, vs. control
1
a single guided session
20+ yrs
of peer-reviewed research

From a randomised controlled trial with frontline healthcare workers, published in The Lancet Psychiatry (2026). One of many studies across emergency, intensive-care and maternity settings.

In the news
SVT Nyheter · Uppsala

"Ny studie: Tetrisspelande kan minska ”flashbacks” efter trauma"

Watch the full report on SVT →
Get in touch

Want to follow our progress?

We're at an early stage and not yet offering treatment. To register your interest, whether as someone experiencing intrusive memories, a clinician, a researcher, or a partner, send us a short email and we'll keep you updated.

Register your interest by email

info@afterimagery.se

Den här webbplatsen är enbart till för information och ersätter inte professionell vård eller akut hjälp. Om du är i kris eller har tankar på att skada dig själv: ring 112 om det är akut, eller ring Mind Självmordslinjen på 90101 (öppet dygnet runt). Ring 1177 för sjukvårdsrådgivning.

This site is for information only and is not a substitute for professional care or emergency help. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself: in Sweden, call 112 (emergency) or Mind Självmordslinjen on 90101 (open day and night). For health advice, call 1177.