À propos des arts thérapies

This is a short presentation of the history of the arts therapies at the university in France, with a place for the ethical difficulties encountered. Then, the article develops the present research on the aesthetic emotion in the art therapist-patient relationship, with an example in music therapy (with the method of “sonorous communication”). The situation presented shows the condensation of the psychic-musical work done by a group to find a solution for a problematic about the stranger, which can be compared to the Dr Claude Valentin's proposition of a “social aesthetics”. The article closes with a reflection on the usefulness of the art, giving it not only a “therapeutic” character but, even, a “vital” one.