Your energy body conforms to whatever vibrational level it is in at the time. When your physical body dies, your energy body leaves it and moves to the closest space inhabitable. It’s like when any chemical compound is released from its typical state—it reforms or changes composition, but the energy is still manifest in some way. What changes is the vibrational rate and in what way the form is manifest.
The same thing goes for "time"—it is a matter of moving from moment to moment as vibrational levels are constantly changing and evolving. Time travel is possible just by finding the exact vibrational level of the moment you are looking for and adjusting to it (but that is another story). Humming, vibrating, dematerializing / rematerializing.
When the physical body dies, the energy body does not die; consciousness moves to a new attention. And visiting the physical plane afterwards is similar to a dream experience, becoming more vivid depending on focus, alertness (or consciousness) and concentration. The physical manifestation is DUE to attention from the energy body—what makes you think the demise of the physical body would also kill the energy body? It works the other way around—your physical world is created by the underlying energetic patterns making up your world. Physicality is just the expression of energy taking place.
So, don’t think that when someone’s physical form deteriorates and dies that they are dead; your friends and family are always part of you and they are existing alongside you, they just don’t have a physical form at the moment! Their energy is very much alive and they continue to live and learn just like you do!Many Blessings, Bonnie Jean Hamilton
