How this started
A personal mess with stress, a book that helped, and the therapist who wrote it.
“In 2019 I was a wreck with stress. I found a book that actually helped.”
It was written by Ari Saario, a behavioral therapist with nearly 15 years of experience. I only read part of it at first, but it was enough to get me functioning again. That lasted about seven years.
Work, unexpected life stuff, and family chaos pulled me back toward the same stress in 2023. In 2025 I picked the book up again and this time read it through. That was the point it really stuck.
I wrote to Ari and asked if I could help get his work in front of more people. He said yes, and together we made Ucan Books.
Anton Eriksson
Finnish entrepreneur
Ari Saario
A behavioral therapist who has spent years working with people stuck in stress, pressure, and avoidance.
Accredited Practitioner
Certified in evidence-based behavioral change methods
15 Years of Experience
Worked with people in high-pressure, stuck situations
Hundreds of Clients
Same method, used in one-on-one work
I am a behavioral therapist with nearly 15 years of experience. Most of my work has been with people who felt stuck and had already tried the usual tools.
Background
I spent many years working with people facing the most demanding situations, like long-standing stress, intense pressure, and the feeling of being stuck. It was during this work that the method behind this book was developed.
Working with people who had struggled for years, sometimes decades, taught me what actually holds the problem in place. Not extra coping tools, but changing what you do when the feeling shows up.
Why the Method Works
This method is built on changing what you do, not on analysing the problem for months. It targets the thoughts and habits that keep the cycle going.
In practice, that often starts to shift in weeks rather than years. It isn't about learning to "cope" or "manage." It's about stopping the things that keep feeding the problem.
How I Work Today
Today I still do intensive one-on-one work (Change Method). The e-book uses the same principles: you don't have to spend the rest of your life managing the feeling.
It's more concentrated than weekly talk sessions. You practice dropping the avoidance and safety habits that keep the cycle going.
What This Book Offers
The book teaches the same method I have used with hundreds of clients. You learn to stay with what you have been avoiding, in small enough steps that you can actually do it.
It is not light reading.
It's a practical guide from years of client work. The exercises are the point, not the theory.
If you're unsure
If you want another set of relaxation exercises, this isn't it. If you want the same approach used in the intensive coaching, that's what the book is.
The method can feel backwards at first, because you're asked not to fight the feeling. That's the whole point.
Why a digital book
Intensive coaching isn't realistic for everyone. We made Ucan Books so the same method is available as a PDF you can work through on your own.