The Effect of Mindfulness Programs on Postoperative Pain

This NYU program teaches patients how to feel calmer before surgery. Patients are taught relaxation techniques by phone or in person by trained NYU personnel. The program uses five steps to ease stress-related symptoms prior to surgery and improve help recovery time. By practicing deep relaxation, it is possible to reduce anxiety and promote a feeling of calmness. The patient swill be enrolled in the course preoperatively and will be ask to continue these meditations for ten weeks.

Patients will be enrolled in Wim Hof Method, a breathing/meditation program. This is a free online program, developed by a man named Wim Hof and his techniques. On this website, he explains the origins and methods behind his teachings ( https://www.wimhofmethod.com/iceman-wim-hof. ). Patients in this group will take the online free course provided by the Wim Hof Method. The patients will be introduced to the online course preoperatively. The three pillars of the WHM are 1) breathing/meditation, 2) stretching exercises and 3) gradual cold exposure. The patients will be told to concentrate on the breathing and meditation component, they may not be able to participate in the cold exposure (cold showers, ice baths) in the immediate post op period because of the open wounds.