Brain Games for Cognitive Rehabilitation and Distraction

[Chemistry]

I've been playing a lot of online chess! 

[Zoe]

I have started to do Luminosity also. On days I don't feel as well I may choose to play less challenging games, but I really do like it. I also play Jungle Jewels on Facebook. I used to do Bejeweled too, but the flashing lights & stuff got to me.

[trouper]

game i play on my phone to try to keep my brain engaged:

whirly word (try to form as many words with the given 6 letters)

candy crush (like bejeweled but different challenges every level)

words with friends (like scrabble, can play with strangers)

dice with buddies (like yatzee, can play with strangers)

letterpress (simple word game, can play with strangers)

luminosity

crossword puzzles

fairway solitaire blast (like golf solitaire with a twist)

4 picts 1 word

 

and for a mindless time waster i got stuck on hay day which i think is like farmville.

[dalsaan]

Has anyone playing luminosity experienced any cognitive improvements, particularly memory?

[Purplestars22]

The games that I enjoy playing is Sudoku which is very challenging depending on the level. It is very stimulating to the brain and I feel like it is improving some abilities. I know that there are some benefits to playing Sudoku. Other games that I play is Checkers, angrybirds and Solitaire.

[SelmaLady]

The computer games have been my only way of getting through one minute at a time.  It depends on how much akathisia I'm having but mostly I play Scrabble (bought and downloaded).  I also can play "Hidden Objects" games of which there are hundreds.  I like the mystery stories.  Because I have this bizarre visual depth perception distortion, I've had to change games that my brain will tolerate.  Previously I like Word Whomp, Spider Soltaire and Word Twist.  Can't play anything that requires object integration. 

[Cdav]

Does anyone think or know if playing these brain games might help healing? Or is it just a distraction? 

[Petunia]

similar topics merged

 

Cdav, I think playing these kinds of games possibly does help some people recover in several ways.  If the drugs or withdrawal have  temporarily caused cognitive impairment, then exercising those particular 'muscles' will encourage them to grow back.  Also, any kind of interesting distraction is good for recovery because when we are calmly focused on something, the nervous system is in a more relaxed state, and that's good for recovery.  So if you enjoy these kinds of games, then I'm sure they help.

[Cdav]

Thank you Petu. I do enjoy these games. I just can't seem to do them when I'm having headaches, which right now I've have them almost 24/7. But I'll try to play during little windows.  

[Laura1981]

Since this whole disaster happened to me, I haven't been able to concentrate on much except for withdrawal and SSRI induced damage. 

 

Slowly I'm starting to be able to let go for minutes at a time and focus on other stuff. But I notice my cognition is fried. 

 

I can't do cognitive tasks that used to be very easy for me. It's not only that I can't do them, I actually get brain zaps, nausea and muscle twitches. 

 

Is there a point in continuing to try? I know that people with brain damage from accidents or strokes go through rehabilitation programs where they challenge their lost abilities and re-learn. 

 

I imagine the same would apply to us? Or am I just torturing myself? 

[bluebalu86]

I think it's a good idea to try and retrain the brain. It will be challenging, but worth it. 

[Petunia]

This is just my experience. I've found that when I've tried to play brain training games, I've become tired very quickly and have experienced symptoms like nausea and low mood, no matter how well I did at the games. I've also found that I did unexpectedly well at some games but really badly at others.

 

I seem to do better with games I enjoy playing rather than ones specifically designed for rehabilitation.

 

What I'm finding is that my cognitive capacities are very slowly returning in a window and waves kind of pattern along with the decrease of symptoms. When I'm feeling a little better, my brain seems to work better, and vice versa.

 

Its my guess that previous cognitive capacities will return naturally as recovery progresses, but no harm in doing training exercises if you enjoy them.

 

Here's a related thread:

 

Brain Games - Surviving Antidepressants

(topics merged)

Edited July 31, 2015 by Petunia
updated

[Laura1981]

Thanks Petu & BlueBalu! 

 

I have the same experience: I try to do something cognitive and get exhausted. I also get frustrated with the fact that my cognitive abilities are fried, which doesn't help. 

 

Maybe the brain games are better because there's no pressure associated with them. 

[Lexy]

Do the cognitive capabilities return and the brain fog leave? I feel like im a wall and can't get over it. Also brain zaps have been with me since first day I went from 150 to effexor 75mgs. I've been tapering so slow shouldn't my brain be healing by now?

[oskcajga]

The brain heals very slowly for some people.  It can take years and years and years before recovery happens.

 

The nausea, physical pain, eye problems, etc, low mood, etc, that I've experienced when playing mind games or videogames seems to be related to my trigemenal nerve damage - so no matter how many games I play, it won't affect my "brain" as much as it will just irritate a damaged nerve.  It feels as if the access point to "training my brain" is damaged, in the same way a broken limb might make it difficult to train a muscle group.  So no matter how hard I try, the broken limb is preventing me from maximizing the amount of training that can occur in that hypothetical muscle group.

 

If you know any ways to heal damaged nerves, that's probably something I'd be interested in trying.  Maybe diabetics with diabetic neuropathy have some suggestions? 

 

I've recovered quite a bit from the nerve damage over the last year just by waiting, eating a very good diet, getting exercise, and getting a bunch of sleep.  I've tried a bunch of other things too, but none of them seem to do much (e.g., mind games, reading, writing, playing sports, etc).  I found that playing videogames on computer screens dramatically worsened the nerve damage, and I was set back at least 2 months from playing a month or so of WoW and LoL online.  Those games really irritated my trigeminal nerve and I didn't really get better for some time - it was very frustrating.

[Laura1981]

I just wanted to update on how the 'cognitive rehabilitation' has been going for me. 

 

I haven't tried the brain games because I got hung up on some stuff that I actually have to get done by a certain date. Things are very bumpy. Sometimes I can focus, sometimes I can't. I have to be very careful not to get upset when it doesn't work. 

 

But I had some successes. I actually got some things done. This gives me some hope to keep trying. Always with the view that in case it doesn't work, the world will still keep spinning. 

[bluebalu86]

So I ordered today my new laptop, and I'm expecting it next week. 

I've never played computer games except for some "Age of Empires", and I don't know much about them. 

I would like some suggestions on what games I should download to play on my new laptop? It's actually a gaming laptop So I can play all sorts of games now.

Nothing too scary or violent, but something very interesting and engaging, so time passes more quickly. 

[Darwin]

Canyon Defense 1 & 2 it's free online; loved the game

[Earthworm]

It depends of what genres of games you like.

 

Age of Empires is a real-time strategy game, if you would like a similar game, I could recommend Starcraft 2... it's real time strategy where 2 alien races and humans battle each other lol. That game has single player story mode, and online multiplayer where you battle other people. That game is made by the developer Blizzard, and pretty much everything they make is gold.

 

If you want to waste days upon days on your computer being addicted to a game, my first choice would be MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role playing games). No other genre has ruined as many marriages as this one. The most popular one is probably World of Warcraft. Another option is Final Fantasy 14, and another option is Lord of the Rings Online (which is free to play). There might be more out there, but I haven't kept up with the gaming news. MMORPGs are about you creating a character in an online world where you can interact with characters made by other players. Basically you fight monsters, and can get into teams with other players to kill monsters together, the more you kill the more you "level up" and your character gets stronger. You upgrade weapons and armor, buy and sell items in auctions within the game, and do a whole lo of other stuff.

 

Another option are FPS games (first person shooters). There's a ton of them. I could recommend Team Fortress 2, it's totally free to play. It's a sorta cartoony game, but there are more realistic shooters out there, but they are of coarse violent since you shoot other people lol.

 

There's other genres of games out there though, I've just mentioned the ones that I've had experience with.

[Knaster]

Computer games are really good distractions! I like post-apocalyptic games that have a lot of atmosphere, like for example Stalker, Shadow of Chernobyl and Fallout 3. They are scary and violent of course. I also play the classic Sim City, a city simulator that can take sweep away the hours like nothing else! Kentucky Route Zero is a very (non violent) nice game as well.

 

Links:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/24780/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/231200/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/22300/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/4500/

 

The site http://rockpapershotgun.com/has lots of good reviews.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Superbetter - the Game

I learned about this sometime in the last year and I cannot remember where. Jane McGonigal suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2009 and recalls her experience and how she got better in a TED Talk.

 

"When game designer Jane McGonigal found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for how to get better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter. In this moving talk, McGonigal explains how a game can boost resilience — and promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life."

 

Watch here

 

What called it to mind is that I signed up for a Superbetter account at the time but it appeared that the game had become inactive and so I lost interest. I got an email today and it says that the site has a new owner and a revamp of the game is in the works (including an Android version).

 

The simplicity of the exercises in the game is deceptive. Here is the science behind it in an article published just this year.

 

It would be interesting if those members here who are suffering badly from the effects of withdrawal attempted this and posted their results.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Petunia
added title from merged topic

[pug]

This looks worth trying, I hope they get it working soon. I would try it.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

You can play it now. If you don't have an iDevice, you can use the web version. If I remember, I could not get the 'power ups' or something to work or maybe it was getting an ally, I just do not remember. But I just re-watched the TED and it still fascinates and moves me.

[Petunia]

Thanks for posting this CW, I joined earlier today and I've been playing with it most of the day. I'm surprised, but I've actually been able to make some progress and my mood is certainly better than its been for the last couple of weeks.

 

I've done a lot of CBT over the years but didn't realize how much I've slipped back into old bad patterns since being in withdrawal, until I started doing some of the quests here and battling the 'bad guys'

 

There's a problem at the moment getting allies, I don't think PM's are working, so you have to exchange email addresses in a public forum, but you don't need allies to play.

[servadei]

I wish I could distract myself with games. Makes my DP/DR worse.

If you want to engage I recommend adventure genre. Syberia, The Longest Journey, Grim Fandango and Monkey Island are my fave. They are not violent.

 

As for other games, my time passed really fast with these: Elder Scrolls 3 and 4 (Morrowind and Oblivion, 5-Skyrim is also okay), Bioshock Infinite, Dishonored, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, Fallout, Dark Souls...

 

...But the game you should definitely play as it requires thinking and it's not scary/violent at all is PORTAL.

I think all gamers would agree with me. It can also help train your brain.

[joey122]

That's great that your brain is slowly recovering.

[JanCarol]

The commitment heavy games like the MMORPG's and the strategy are more than I can handle.  I used to play chess - but when I lost the cognitive ability to see moves ahead, it became painful to see how much I'd lost.  I was playing "Star Trek: Alien Nation" until yesterday.  I don't know how to find what I need to complete the quests and to keep from dying so badly.  I don't like war, and I don't like how this is battle focused instead of negotiation focused.  I guess I want it to be more Picard and less Kirk.  I like building a world, but when it comes time to make an empire - go and conquer (or be conquered) it loses my interest.

 

I do simple match-3 - just play the free part until it's not fun anymore (can't make progress) then switch to another.  Hidden object - I can play forever, but like to switch, each game has it's own style.  I play in Facebook.  I have a few games on my PC that I've bought, but I find that most of the hidden object / puzzle ones overwhelm me - I'm not as good as "solving" what they want me to solve.  Oh, and solitaire games, though I've been playing those less lately.  I prefer quick games which require little commitment, and my crops don't die if I let it sit for a few weeks.

 

The Lumosity games - and there were others I was playing for awhile and cannot remember - frustrate me.  It's like it's trying to access a part of my brain (especially SPEED) that I cannot get to.  I am slow and plodding.  I just left http://www.brainhq.com because the puzzles were so darned FAST!  Speed is good - I worked very hard to get my karate faster - but - I have limits, and making me go fast is one of them.  I won't play any Match-3 or other game if it is time based.  I believe that intelligence and speed are separate things - and no longer have the dexterity of mind and hand to be fast.  But, in my plodding way, I can still be smart.

 

I find the games to be distracting rather than cognitive building.  I do find that there are days when I play better than others.  I haven't charted this or anything, but I consider it a good sign when I have a "good run" of wins.

[mammaP]

I just spent 30 minutes on this site which promises to make you happier. Scientifically it is proven that negative thoughts can cause illness, this site is about challenging them and is really good. There is the option of upgrading to the paid version but the free one seems fine. We are all in varying stages of withdrawal or suffering side effects that are debilitating, but negative thoughts make it so much worse. I know all this and try to pass on the knowledge I have about being positive in adversity but recently have had so  much stress and illness that it is becoming harder to hang on to that positivity. 30 minutes browsing and already feel more positive! 

 

Games and tests.....go on, give it a try! 

 

http://www.happify.com/

[Happy2Heal]

oh thanks for posting this! I had found that site before but somehow lost the link to it

i was getting some happy updates and stuff in my emails

 

will have to sign up again

[Petunia]

Thanks MammaP for adding the link to the Happify Site http://www.happify.com/

 

I joined and played for a while, it was fun and there's a great community there too with a lot of encouraging and supportive people.

 

I merged the topic so its easier to find as part of brain improvement games generally.