Through what mechanism do people hold back their loved ones when it is highest and best for them to pass on?

The mechanism for restriction is not done through the divine realm, it is done through the energy of the person’s own consciousness that is reaching out to the loved one in desperation, and that is the true clinging. It is their energy acting like a net surrounding the loved one, to keep them close, to hold them down, hold them back, prevent them from leaving. This is perceived energetically by the person who is dying, and they may well delay their departure accordingly. Every death is a decision to leave on some level of the being, usually at the level of higher self, and then the message goes out to the body to comply. Once the decision is made and the body begins to fade, a desperate outreach from a loved one can cause a delay and cause the person to hold back, and this can keep them trapped under a feeling of obligation even when there is much suffering occurring. And then this becomes a disservice to the loved one, who deserves better and who would gain tremendously from escaping a life of torment and despair, in many cases, from unrelenting pain or the loss of function to the point where their life loses its satisfactions and certainly joys. To remain in a kind of prison does not serve them any longer and they need to exit and deserve this opportunity to return to the light and the bliss of Creator’s love. But a sense of duty will often circumvent the planning to exit, and then there will be continued suffering. This will have karmic consequences for the one who is possessive, so this is never a good idea. There is a time for living and a time for dying, and this needs to be a part of the awareness and maturity, to distinguish among these choices with a healthy perspective of what is highest and best for all.