Cryopreservation: Life After Death
What is cryopreservation or cryonics?
Cryopreservation, or more specifically cryonics is simple. It is the process of freezing a body after someone has died in the hope to revive it at some point in the future.
The reason that people are interested in cryopreservation is because of the belief that, at some point in the future, there be medical and technological advancements that mean we can cure ailments that are currently ‘incurable’.
Cryopreservation or cryonics are seen as a bridge between the medicine of today and that of the future. The process of freezing the body almost immediately after someone has died prevents decay.
As of now cryopreservation is untested. No one has tried to bring a human back to life in this way. But despite this some people are willing to put their faith in future medical and technological advancements and to cryopreserve their body after they die.
What is the cryopreservation process?
If the idea is simple. The process is the opposite.
In order for cryopreservation to work it needs to happen fairly soon after someone has died. If this is something you want for yourself it’s important to share your wishes with friends and family, as well as in a legally binding will https://octopuslegacy.com/online-will before hand in order to avoid delays.
Step 1: The body is prepared.
- This usually involves replacing as much blood and bodily fluid with a medical grade antifreeze. This avoids ice crystals forming that would damaging the body when it is frozen.
Step 2: The body must be slowly cooled down to -196 degrees celsius.
Step 3: The body is stored at this temperature.
Step 4: The hope is that one day in the future the person might be brought back to life again.
Does cryopreservation actually work?
Short answer. We don’t know.
There is a possibility that it’s all for nothing. Putting your body through all of that & the costs involved, with no guarantees is not for most people.
In order for cryopreservation to work quite a lot of technological advances would need to happen.
- We’d need the technology to bring people back to life.
- We’d need to be able to repair damaged tissues almost perfectly.
- We’d need a cure for whatever ailments caused someone to die
In theory, anything is possible. In reality… who knows!
How much does cryopreservation cost?
Hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The exact cost depends on the cryopreservation provider - of which there are only a handful globally.
Some have yearly membership fees whilst your alive, and/or a big lump sum after you die.
All of this helps keep these projects going for the long term to ensure that anyone who has undergone treatment after dying will still be around long into the future.
How do people pay for cryopreservation?
Whilst a lot of people may see cryopreservation as something that’s just for the uber rich, some people take out a life insurance policy that will cover the cost with a lump sum payment when they die.
What do I need to do if I want to opt for cryopreservation?
There are a few important steps if you want to opt for cryopreservation.
Firstly you need to share your wishes with your nearest and dearest.
Then you need to lay out your wishes in your will to make them legally binding.
Making sure everyone is in the loops and you’ve crossed your i’s and dotted your t’s is key, as cryonic companies tend to want to transfer you body as quickly as possible after you’ve died.
Start laying out your wishes in your will today. We talk you through each step in this easy to use, step by step process.
Not sure if you need a will? Find out by taking this free 1 minute test here.
