BACKGROUND: Up to 90% of patients still experience pain after abdominal surgery, which also affects their physical recovery and psychological anxiety. AIM: To evaluate the effects of guided imagery meditation on ameliorating anxiety, improving the quality of sleep, and relieving postoperative pain in patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery. METHOD: In the general surgical ward of a teaching hospital, patients were randomly assigned to usual care (n = 34) and guided imagery meditation intervention (n = 34) groups, using the method. The measuring outcomes included their anxiety score, quality of sleep, and pain control. RESULTS: In terms of the anxiety difference, the experimental group scored 0.42 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.97), while the control group scored 4.79 (SD = 7.56), which indicates a statistically significant difference (F = 8.04, p = .01, partial eta2 = 0.11). In terms of quality of sleep, the mean score of the experimental group was 2.67 (SD = 1.96), while the control group scored 7.55 (SD = 3.81), which indicates a significant difference (F = 39.99, p = .001, partial eta2 = 0.39). The mean of the degree of postoperative pain was 2.11 points (SD = 1.39), and the score of the control group was 4.00 points (SD = 1.62), which indicates a significant difference (p = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Guided imagery meditation is a simple, non-invasive, non-pharmacologic intervention measure. It can reduce anxiety and postoperative pain, and improve the quality of sleep. Thus, it should be promoted in clinical practice.