A mental health crisis is brewing. It has been since the early 2010s. Rates of self-harm, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and suicide have risen sharply over the last decade, and the trend continues amongst Generations Z and Alpha.

All this coincides with the explosion of social media, the defining cultural shift of our time. Modern life is more connected than ever, yet many feel more anxious, distracted, and dissatisfied.

How then can we truly flourish?

In this episode of Salt Live, we hear from Professor of Psychiatry Glynn Harrison as he explores the effect of social media on our minds and lives, and whether we can have faith in the future.

Listen to the Q&A from our Salt Live event, “Spiritual but not religious: Freedom or fallacy?” Author and speaker Simon Edwards joins host Tobias Brown to answer audience questions and delve deeper into the conversation.

Sage and crystals, star signs and chakras. The modern West may be less religious than in the past, but it is no less spiritual. Many have traded Christianity, with its dos and don’ts, for spiritual practices offering transcendence without obligation. Yet, in the noisy and confusing marketplace of spiritual practices, many feel untethered and uncertain.

Does being “spiritual but not religious” offer the freedom it promises? Does it satisfy our souls’ deep ache for higher power?

Recorded live in London on 7 October 2025, this episode of Salt Live features author and speaker Simon Edwards as he explores our culture’s shift towards spiritual autonomy — and how the Christian faith speaks to our longing for freedom and transcendence.