The Myth of a Fresh Start After Immigration There is a particular fantasy many immigrants carry quietly in their suitcases: the belief that moving to America guarantees a clean slate. When I left Uganda for the United States, I believed distance would erase my trauma. I was exhausted by repeated heartbreak and painful relationship patterns. America, I thought, would be my reset button. Distance, I believed, was the same thing as healing. It wasn’t. Immigration and Trauma: Why