Jeff Glattstein and Lena Franklin with their shamanic drums. PHOTO BY CHELSEA PATRICIA

SOUL SEEKERS

The EAST Institute co-founders and healers Lena Franklin and Jeff Glattstein guide immersive retreats to Peru, Costa Rica and beyond.

Lena Franklin’s spiritual journey began in childhood. Raised in a Buddhist-Christian home, Franklin recalls being “immersed in Mahayana Buddhism through my Vietnamese mother’s lineage,” practicing meditation and other Eastern traditions from a very early age. Always drawn to helping people, she received a BS in psychology and, later, a master’s in social work from the University of Georgia. After the loss of her mother during graduate school, Franklin found solace and healing through meditation, yoga and other nontraditional practices, eventually leading spiritual journeys and studying ancient healing traditions around the globe. Now, as a full-fledged medicine woman and transpersonal psychotherapist, she guides international immersive retreats for others with her partner in business and life, The EAST Institute (theeastinstitute.com) co-founder Jeff Glattstein. This November, the duo will host an immersive retreat called EXPAND Peru, where participants will dine on local organic food, experience healing plant medicine, meditate and participate in sacred ceremonies led by local Q’ero elders. “At The EAST Institute, it’s all about releasing the energy of fear that’s generated by the ego in exchange for what your soul seeks most: joy, freedom, love, peace and interconnectedness,” explains Franklin.