Editing Ecstasy (section)

=== Origins ===
MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by the pharmaceutical company Merck, though it was not widely studied until the 1970s when chemist [[Alexander Shulgin]] re-synthesized and popularized it within psychotherapeutic circles. It was used by therapists throughout the early 1980s as an aid for couples counseling and PTSD treatment before its recreational use became widespread.