E ven minor surgery can be very stressful. And no wonder, given the anxiety elicited by the idea of being "put under"... the risk of complications... and the fear of postoperative pain.

Stress does more than just make things unpleasant. It boosts the risk for infection and slows the healing of incisions.

To the rescue: Whether you are facing bunion removal or coronary bypass, the surgery itself and your recovery will go more smoothly if you follow this program...

DEEP RELAXATION

Stress causes your body to produce cortisol. Chronic high levels of this stress hormone can torpedo your immune system just when you need it most.

To lower cortisol levels: Starting two weeks before surgery, do this exercise for at least 20 minutes, once or twice a day.

Sit comfortably or lie down. Close your eyes.

Focus on the muscles in your neck. If they’re tense, let them relax.

Now focus on other muscle groups -- shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, back, pelvis, right leg and left leg. Feel the tension, then allow the muscle to relax.

Think of a loved one. Recall a time when you most strongly felt love for him/her. Imagine receiving love in return.

Master all this, and you’ll be able to have deep, healing relaxation all day -- while driving, preparing meals, etc.

POSITIVE VISUALIZATION

During periods of deep relaxation, your mind is highly "suggestible." It treats wishes almost as if they were reality.

Use this time to "seed" your mind with images of fast-healing incisions, pain-free recovery and other desired outcomes pertaining to surgery.

Recent research conducted at the University of Texas at Austin showed that surgical patients who visualized a fast-healing incision healed faster than patients who did not do visualizations.

What to do: Twice a day for five minutes, imagine chatting happily with your best friend just after surgery. "I feel fine," you might say. "Things went well."

Next, see yourself leaving the hospital. You might say, "My ________ (whatever body part was operated on) feels great. I’m healing just as fast as I’d hoped."

Now imagine yourself fully healed and doing something you love. If you’re facing hip replacement surgery, you might see yourself dancing at an upcoming wedding reception.

SUPPORT FROM OTHERS

In the days leading up to surgery, friends and/ or family members may ask, "How can I help?" That’s terrific. Recent studies indicate that the emotional support of loved ones promotes fast, smooth recovery from surgery.

Tell those who want to help that you need their love. Ask them to think of you for the 30 minutes leading up to your surgery... and to "send" you their best wishes for comfort.

How does one send these wishes? Tell the person, "Think back to a time when you felt great love for me. When you feel truly connected to me -- as if I were right next to you -- imagine wrapping me in a blanket of love."

Specify the color of this imaginary blanket -- whatever hue seems most reassuring to you.

This strategy is not as farfetched as it might sound. A growing body of scientific research confirms the power of such "distance healing."

For more direct support, ask that your spouse or a close friend stay with you just before you head to the operating room. Skin-to-skin contact with a loved one -- and his/her soothing words -- are remarkably effective at helping control stress.

HEALING STATEMENTS

As you go under anesthesia -- and throughout the operation -- you’re powerfully influenced by what you hear.

In a recent study conducted at the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow, Scotland, 30 women under-going hysterectomy listened to a taped message during surgery that said, "You’ll feel warm and comfortable. Any pain you feel after surgery will not concern you."

Result: After surgery, these women needed 23% less morphine than a control group who heard no comforting words.

To put healing statements to work for you, jot the following statements on a note card and ask your anesthesiologist to recite each five times...

As you go under: "Following this operation, you will feel comfortable. You will heal well."

As the procedure ends: "The operation went well. You will wake up hungry for _________ (your favorite food). You’ll be thirsty and able to urinate easily."

Some patients are too embarrassed to ask for these recitations. Don’t be. These days, most anesthesiologists are happy to cooperate, admitting that they talk to their patients during surgery anyway. In fact, much of the research on suggestibility during surgery was done by anesthesiologists.

Important: Talk to the anesthesiologist no later than the night before surgery -- and preferably several days before surgery. If you cannot arrange a face-to-face meeting, talk by phone.

Ask about the anesthetic he’ll use... and about the painkillers you’ll use after surgery.

Just talking establishes a supportive doctor-patient relationship. A Harvard study of 218 surgical patients found that a five-minute talk with the anesthesiologist before surgery was more calming than an injection of the sedative pentobarbital.