It seems weirdly intuitive that a drug known on the street as “ecstasy” might be a good treatment for psychological conditions like “anxiety” and “post-traumatic stress disorder” — but sometimes it is the obvious solutions that are the hardest to realize.

And sometimes the federal government is just blocking intuitive solutions like those, by classifying certain drugs as “schedule I” and effectively prohibiting research and clinical tests. Despite the potential benefits to people.

Such is the case with MDMA.

A recent clinical study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in October found that, in concert with psychotherapy sessions, MDMA (or “Molly”) had a 76 percent success rate in treating patients suffering from PTSD.

“Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms remained lower than baseline at 12-month follow-up … with 76% … not meeting posttraumatic stress disorder criteria,” the study says. “There were no drug-related serious adverse events, and the treatment was well-tolerated.”

The study examined 28 participants, all of whom were suffering from clinically diagnosed PTSD. After a year of psychotherapy sessions and therapeutic MDMA dosing, three-quarters of the study participants no longer met the clinical criteria for PTSD. It may not be a cure, but it’s certainly a treatment — and it’s more effective than anything else tried so far.

Apparently, when you confront your psychological demons rolling face, they tend to recoil.

“Our findings support previous investigations of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as an innovative, efficacious treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder,” the study concludes.

However effective this study shows MDMA to be for treating PTSD, it is still listed by the federal government as a schedule I drug — as a substance that is terminally dangerous and has no known medical uses whatsoever. Because of this, it will still be a while before MDMA is approved for any kind of therapy outside of a lab.

Still, this is a good first step towards reclassification, and medical institution. It’s hard for the Feds to argue with science (even though they seem to do it fairly often).

This was phase 2 of the clinical trials for MDMA treating PTSD. The researchers responsible for this study are entering phase 3 soon. From there, the road to legal treatment and clinical availability is pretty straightforward (albeit slow).

“If findings are replicated in phase 3 trials, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy will become an available treatment option for people suffering with PTSD,” says the study.

Those phase III trials are expected to be complete within three years. Which, is still a long time — especially if you are someone acutely suffering from PTSD and seeking relief.

But, it is some kind of hope. A rolling glimmer on the horizon, if nothing else.