De l’expression psychopathologique à l’art-thérapie

Abstract

Among the units in the department of psychiatry of the Sainte-Anne hospital in Paris was created since the beginning of the1960 years one, assigned to the development of psychopathology of expression by drawing and pictural means. The duties fall on Dr. Claude Wiart. Many years later, he will have helped me to organise a convention in Nantes devoluted to this theme and entitled “L’Oeil Signe.” Before, depending of this sample of the therapeutical strength of the creativity, as soon as I saw also such a place in the department of psychiatry of Pr Pierre Sizaret, I had got the possibility to create such a unit in this therapeutic field. Like that, I could write my thesis, which was validated in may 1968 by Prs. Jean Delay and Pierre Deniker and later a book entitled Arts et Folie (Arts and madness) (Cesura edition). And extension of this kind of therapeutic means became certain and successful in a lot of psychiatric hospitals, as the one of Avignon: Drs. Lavergne; Libourne: Guy Lafargue and other practitioners. Also, teachings was organised in many cities. The gatherings of Sainte-Anne, Heidelberg and also Lausanne remain famous.