G.R.I.T. - Goal-directed Resilience Intervention Training

This research program has addressed three reactive adaptations evident in pain, PTSD, and obesity. In this project, the focus will be on PTSD as a model of stimulus-based reactive responses to unpredictability or threat, and the investigators propose to test the efficacy of the goal-directed skills training (GRIT) program for restoring predictive responding and homeostasis. The challenge of how best to cultivate psychological resilience in the face of stress, trauma, and social adversity among disadvantaged populations is a complex question best answered with a translational research approach. This research' intent is to help African American women who are dealing with stress after traumatic experiences. It will specifically study Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, a disorder that affects people who have experienced severe traumas. It is associated with a number of overwhelming emotional symptoms. These include sleep difficulties, depression and anxiety, flashbacks and nightmares of the traumatic events. The training is an 8-week skill building program that helps people use positive experiences from their past to cope with current difficulties. The investigators will collect blood samples for future research to understand how the body's stress response changes as a result of this training