The idea that our minds hold memories of every experience we have ever had, and though these memories may sink into the subconscious, they are able to resurface during hypnosis, bringing with them the force of original truth and not memory; thus the paranormal feeling that often accompanies the resurfacing of such memories.
Term coined by Theodore Flournoy to refer to a memory of some event or experience which has been forgotten by the conscious mind, and which may appear in awareness without the person recognizing it as a memory; sometimes invoked as a counterhypothesis to apparent paranormal awareness.
Cryptomnesia, or "concealed recollection," is the name for a theoretical phenomenon involving suppressed or 'forgotten' memories. It refers to cases where (apparently) a person believes that he or she is creating or inventing something new, such as a story, poem, artwork, or joke, but is actually recalling a similar or identical work which he or she has previously encountered. According to the theory of cryptomnesia, the person is not engaging in plagiarism, but is rather experiencing a memory as if it were inspiration.