Forge Ahead: Creating a New Context for Your Mental Health and Well-Being During and After a Challenging Illness with Dr. Guy Maytal (Episode #93)

Dr. Lynn Hellerstein of Vision Beyond Sight speaks with Dr. Guy Maytal, Chief of Integrated Care and Psychiatric Services of Forge Health, to talk about creating a new context for mental health and mental well-being upon getting diagnosed with a mental or severe illness, while going through it, and after recovering from it. Dr. Maytal discussed the challenges of facing and reacting to our symptoms and illness, and the importance of empowering ourselves to communicate what we feel and go through. He also delved on the misconceptions of what a diagnosis is, how we should not see ourselves through our severe or mental illnesses without resorting to toxic positivity, and the impact of intentions, prayers and meditation to our mental well-being.

🔊 Click here and tune in to the show now to explore:

• How Dr. Maytal went into psychiatry
• The existential changes when experiencing illnesses and the difficulty of communicating what you are going through
• The challenge of talking about mental illness and empowering patients to take a more active role in communication
• Reflecting on the impact of the illness to your life after recovery
• The fundamental misconception of what a diagnosis is
• Talking about mental illness as if the person is the diagnosis
• Stopping from living in the mindset of seeing yourself through your illness
• Impact of intentions, prayers and meditation to your mental well-being
• How toxic positivity can be damaging
• The role and limits of medication
• Dr. Guy’s mantra: “Don’t wait until you get sick before you grow up.”

About Dr. Guy Maytal:

Dr. Guy Maytal is dedicated to emotional wellbeing and psychological freedom for all people – and particularly for people experiencing severe medical illness. He currently serves as Forge Health’s Chief of Integrated Care and Psychiatric Services. In this role, he is leading Forge Health’s initiatives to provide the highest quality care to clients with coexisting medical conditions, and to enhance the interface of Forge Health’s mental health & substance use services with medical specialties – including primary care medicine, oncology, and others. He also has a private psychiatric practice as part of his mission to create a new context for mental health.

Most recently, Dr. Maytal served as Chief of Integrated Care and Psychiatric Oncology at New York-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medicine (2018-2023), where he provided clinical leadership in the development and growth of clinical services, provided expert consultation and clinical care for patients across a broad spectrum of diagnoses, and taught students and peers across multiple medical specialties.

Previously, Dr. Maytal spent 11 years on the faculty of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School, where he served in several leadership positions, including Medical Director of Psychiatry Ambulatory Services.

Dr. Maytal has written widely in his areas of clinical expertise, and has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed papers, review articles, and book chapters in various areas of psychosomatic medicine. Furthermore, Dr. Maytal is a dedicated and passionate teacher who is committed to training early-career clinicians as well as to the ongoing education of practicing clinicians. Dr. Maytal continues to serve as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and as a Distinguished Fellow of the APA since 2018.

Dr. Maytal grew up in Israel in New York City. He was educated at Harvard College and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He currently resides in New York City where he is close to his beloved parents, siblings, and especially his nieces and nephews.

Connect with Dr. Guy Maytal, Forge Health and Maytal Psychiatry:

Forge Health: Patients seeking insurance-based treatment for mental health or substance use issues can contact Forge Health for an intake appointment if they live in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts.

Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

For people residing in New York or New Jersey wishing to see me in my private practice, please reach me at Maytal Psychiatry here: https://zencare.co/provider/psychiatrist/guy-maytal.

Website | LinkedIn

“For some people, it’s the period of time after the acute treatment—when for the first time, they’re just looking at life and say, ‘Oh, wait. What’s the impact on my life of this experience and how can I integrate it meaningfully?’ There are a lot of people who find silver lining—even that is not a term I might use because that implies that the middle is dark. It’s more, ‘This is my life now. How do I make sense of it in a way that’s fulfilling?’” – Dr. Guy Maytal

🔊 Click here to play this show now!

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Dr. Lynn Hellerstein, Developmental Optometrist, co-owner of Hellerstein & Brenner Vision Center, P.C., award-winning author and international speaker, holds powerful and inspiring conversations with her guests in the areas of health, wellness, education, sports and psychology. They share their inspirational stories of healing and transformation through their vision expansion. Vision Beyond Sight Podcast will help you see with clarity, gain courage and confidence. Welcome to Vision Beyond Sight!

Dr. Lynn’s books are available at Amazon.com and www.lynnhellerstein.com/shop.

Dr. Lynn is available for speaking engagements and consulting. For more information, visit www.lynnhellerstein.com.

To learn more about vision therapy or to find a doctor providing vision therapy in your area, visit: COVD.org.

To learn more about vision and the impact in concussion/brain injury, visit: Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.

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