aikahäviö

Aikahäviö, often translated as "time loss" or "time slip," is a phenomenon described in Finnish folklore and parapsychology where individuals experience a perceived disruption or gap in their sense of time. This can manifest as a period of minutes, hours, or even longer feeling as if it has completely disappeared from memory, with no recollection of what occurred during that interval.

The experience is typically described as feeling disoriented or finding oneself in a different place or situation than expected, with no memory of how they got there or what transpired. Sufferers might find a clock has moved forward significantly without them noticing, or that they have completed tasks they don't remember starting.

Explanations for aikahäviö vary. In folklore, it has sometimes been attributed to supernatural causes, such as being taken by fairies or other entities, or being caught in a time warp. From a psychological perspective, it is often understood as a dissociative phenomenon, potentially linked to stress, fatigue, hypnosis, or certain medical conditions like temporal lobe epilepsy. In parapsychological contexts, it can be discussed alongside concepts of altered states of consciousness or precognition.

While the term is rooted in Finnish cultural beliefs, similar experiences of unexplained time gaps are reported across various cultures under different names. Scientific research into aikahäviö is limited, with most explanations drawing from psychology and neuroscience rather than paranormal interpretations.