Originally Appeared At: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3060040/Ecstasy-pills-can-treat-soldiers.html — RAVE drug ecstasy can be used to safely treat soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, new research has revealed. The drug, also known as MDMA, made patients less frightened in therapy sessions allowing them to open up more. The patients were given doses of the illegal party pill during eight hour psychotherapy sessions. Scientists found ten out of 12 people who took the drug no longer had symptoms that met the medical definition of PTSD. Numbing This was compared to just two out of eight test subjects who were given placebos in place of ecstasy. And the boffins have said there were NO ill effects from the use of the drug in the tests — although they will continue to look for long term effects. The study was carried out at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in Santa Cruz, California. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Mithoefer, who led the study, said before ecstasy was used recreationally, psychiatrists and psychotherapists around the world often used it to boost therapy. He said the therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder involved revisiting trauma during therapy sessions and are not as effective “if the person is flooded with emotions they can’t process or they have emotional ‘numbing’.” He added: “But MDMA seems to bring people into the optimal zone for therapy and seems to help them process the trauma and not be overwhelmed by feelings.” Briefly states that MDMA made PTSD patients “less frightened” and allowed them to “open up more”.