The global psychedelic field has been narrated through the metaphor of a “Psychedelic Renaissance.” While effective in mobilizing public interest, this framing reproduces Eurocentric histories, Darwinian narratives of sociocultural progress, and biomedical logics that marginalize Indigenous sciences and relational ecologies. Enduring coloniality and conflicts concerning biomedicalization, commodification, militarization, and regulation expose the risks of eclipsing relational, ecological, and intergenerational dimensions of psychedelic practices. Drawing on anthropology, Indigenous and decolonial literature, and science and technology studies, we argue that psychedelic science stands at a crossroads, and we advocate the recognition of a paradigm shift from renaissance to confluence , grounded in two interlinked concepts: lived kinships and cosmic diplomacy . We integrate ethnographic research from Amazonian and diasporic ayahuasca communities, recent developments such as the Declaration of the 5th Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference (Brazil, 2025) and the forthcoming World Ayahuasca Forum (Spain, 2026), and policy frameworks including the Nagoya Protocol (Japan, 2010). We propose the term “lived kinships” to expand research beyond the individual into human and more-than-human ecologies, while cosmic diplomacy provides a methodological and political framework for cross-cultural alliance-building and planetary health. Building on relational anthropology, ritual theory, cosmopolitics, and Indigenous cosmologies, we bring the perspectives of thinkers such as Ailton Krenak, Davi Kopenawa, Nina Gualinga, and quilombola philosopher Nêgo Bispo into dialogue with contemporary debates in psychedelic studies. We argue that psychedelic science must evolve from Eurocentric notions of renaissance toward a confluence that safeguards biocultural diversity and integrity. By operationalizing these frameworks for empirical research, governance, and ethical investment, we provide a scientifically rigorous and politically urgent roadmap for the future of the psychedelic field.
Assis et al. (Sun,) studied this question.