WELCOME
RSAM is a handler-centered technique that uses resonance (calm, coherent energy states) to regulate both handler and animal. It enables animals to operate off-leash, remain responsive under stress, and synchronize naturally with the handler’s intent. This site is meant to be a DIY, self-help kind of guide, so you can heal trauma and train your pets!
Traditional Training
vs
RSAM
Traditional Service Dog Training
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Focus: Task-based support.
Method: Classical conditioning
(reward-based training).
Dogs trained to perform specific tasks:
Guiding the blind.
Alerting to sounds for the deaf.
Interrupting harmful behaviors
(self-harm, panic).
Detecting medical states
(low blood sugar, seizures).
Human-dog relationship: Hierarchical. The human is handler/master; the dog is assistant/worker.
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Language: Clinical, behavioral, rooted in applied animal psychology.
Goal: Reliability, consistency, predictability. The dog should perform tasks on command or when cues are present.
RSAM (Resonant Service Animal Method=Resonant Self Alignment Method)
Focus: Emotional/spiritual co-regulation.
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RSAM Method:
Builds on the idea that dogs naturally sense human trauma and nervous system states.
Instead of “command training,” the work emphasizes resonance — dogs reflecting human states and humans learning from that feedback.
Human-dog relationship: Co-equal partnership. Both beings are in a field of healing; the dog is not “working for” the human but resonating with them.
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Language: Spiritual, energetic, trauma-informed.
Goal: Transformation, presence, coherence — the human and dog enter a more aligned state together.
Where they overlap
Both recognize the dogs’ sensitivity to human emotions and physiology.
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Both involve training to shape how a dog responds. Both aim to improve
quality of life for the human.
Where they diverge
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Traditional methods:
Task-reliability first, emotions second.
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RSAM: emotions/energetics first, tasks as a natural extension.
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Traditional sees the dog as a tool;
RSAM sees the dog as a partner in mutual healing.
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So, RSAM is more of a philosophical expansion of what’s already known about service and therapy dogs. It pushes beyond tasks into the realm of co-healing.
Traditional Service Dog Training Session
Goal: Teach the dog to interrupt a panic attack.
Set up → Trainer has the handler simulate a panic cue.
(like rapid breathing or rocking).
Task shaping → Dog is guided to nudge the handler’s hand or place paws on lap.
Reward → Immediate treat + praise when dog performs the behavior.
Repetition → Repeat the scenario until dog automatically does the task when cue appears.
Generalization → Practice in different environments until reliable.
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Focus: Consistency and obedience. Dog is trained to recognize a specific signal and perform a specific action every time.
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RSAM (Resonant Service Animal Method) Training Session
Goal: Develop dog-human resonance during emotional stress.
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Settle together → Human and dog sit quietly, focusing on breathing, noticing each other’s presence.
Induce mild stress → Human recalls or allows a light trauma memory/emotional wave to surface.
Observe resonance → Notice how the dog reacts naturally (shifts posture, moves closer, looks away, paws, sighs).
Amplify awareness → Human reflects back. Example: "I feel my heart racing, and my dog has leaned in closer, or perhaps moves away.”
Integration → Human lets go into the dog’s resonance — calming together. The “training” is in the mutual regulation, not commands.
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Closure → End with grounding, gratitude, touch, and rest.
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Focus: Presence and co-regulation. Dog isn’t commanded; its natural attunement is acknowledged and reinforced. Over time, this deepens into a repeatable, intuitive partnership.
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Key Difference in Practice
Traditional: “Dog, do this when I panic.
”RSAM: “Dog, let’s be present with what arises, and together find coherence.”​
One is about task performance, the other about shared state transformation.