For the study, Dr. Michael Mithoefer, a South Carolina psychiatrist, will recruit 20 women who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of sexual assaults or other violence and have not been helped by any other treatment.

Mithoefer plans to hold psychotherapy sessions with the women, 12 of whom will receive ecstasy prior to the session. The remaining women will be given a placebo.

"What's unique about MDMA is that it's actually stimulating but decreases anxiety," said Dr. Julie Holland of New York University, author of "Ecstasy: A Complete Guide." "It could help people feel calm and comfortable enough to explore painful things that are hard to talk about."

Critics of the study said effective treatment requires the patient to face the problem head-on. "If you're calm, you're not getting at the root of the problem," said Dr. Scott Lillienfeld, a psychiatrist at Emory University who has studied post-traumatic stress disorder.

He also raised concerns about Mithoefer's methodology. "There's no real placebo," Lillienfeld said. "Everyone will know who's on the drugs. What I wonder is, instead of a placebo, why aren't they giving a drug that mimics the physical effects?"

Mithoefer expects to begin the therapy sessions sometime in March.

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