R,
As far as selecting the stresses only for a given area, you might try using the 'related to' MB3 pick (ie, pick the item that the forces/etc are 'related to', and then pick the resultant items you want (such as the forces).
If you don't have the forces 'related to' an easily pickable item (like a 'partition surface' or some such), then you might be able to use the 'group' functionality to aggregate them together. While it will still take some time to pick them the first time, you can then pick them quicker on subsequent runs/etc (by picking the same 'group').
Let me know if this helps...
-e