Can you carry the dead?

Howdy, I'm fairly new to the sub, and I have enjoyed looking through people's experiences and questions long enough to know the are some smart cookies here. That being said, I'm gonna apologize for the rant ahead of time and get right to it. I'm a disabled vet with my fair share of baggage. I was a mechanic assigned to a team that primarily handled logistics for the general Kabul region. Part of that assignment was mortuary affairs. Through that experience you get to know a person better than you ever should. We were generally the first contact with those who had passed. Our job was to inventory the personal belongings and annotate EVERY detail about those possessions. Family photos, size and color of their underwear, all the way down to the Individual serial numbers on the currency. The purpose was that they got sent home without anything going "missing." There were 7 of us assigned to that group. 5 of which are no longer with us. I still talk to him from time to time, but we both have alot to deal with in our own way. One thing we have both noticed is that it feels like those people are still with us. Almost like a shadow, or in some cases an anchor. In a way it almost feels like there is some sort of interference that is preventing me from connecting with people and I'm feeling more and more isolated, even from my family. I guess what I am getting at is, has part of those people's being latched onto me and how/should I be trying to break free of their hold? I started this because I dropped my proverbial porcelain mask this morning and it feels like I may never be able to repair it. I had therapy today and finally was able to open up about this and they passed me off. Please help where science and religion have failed.