First, I’d like to say that I think I have these dreams when I am under extreme stress and am looking for an outlet. I recently discovered that my divorce is not final yet. I continue to receive mail from my husband’s lawyers and his friends who have not yet accepted that he does not live with me anymore. Every time I attempt to move forward in my life there is always something to remind me that it’s not over yet, and that is frustrating for me. Then, I was unhappy with my job. It had become overwhelming, so the good news about that is I’ll be starting a new job in two weeks. I was awakened by another one of these dreams at 6 am this morning, so that’s why I am writing. There are several versions of this dream, so I will mention them all.

At first I would dream that I was in Las Vegas. The plane would drop me off, but Las Vegas was nowhere in sight. It was like a big desert and I would be walking for an eternity it seems. I would never find Las Vegas.

Then I’d dream that I had walked so far that I could finally see the strip. I’d keep telling myself, “I’m going to get there.” I’d be walking for what seems like forever.

My next dream. Finally, I have arrived. But the strip is not the strip. I tell myself, “I know I saw the MGM just over there, but now I don’t see it.” The strip is made up of some old buildings, but nothing that looks like Las Vegas. I am asking people which way to go, to get to the strip. People are telling me, but once I get there it’s not the hotels in Las Vegas. These dreams are frustrating because I never find what I’m looking for.

Then I dream that I am actually on the strip. I can see all of the hotels, the lights, and people. There is this one hotel that I have in mind that I want to go to. I know where it’s at. I can see it in my head. Each time I sort out this particular hotel, and that’s where I want to go. I get there. I go in. I ask the attendant, “Where are the slot machines?” He says, “We don’t have slot machines anymore.” I say, “What, this is Las Vegas! What do you mean you don’t have slot machines?” I am so frustrated. I know that I have come a long way and still have not found what I am looking for.

I walk around this hotel and I see some pinball machines that have been put in place of the slot machines. I am so confused. I walk around some more and I see people really enjoying themselves playing with these pinball machines. I tell myself I know that the hotel next door has slot machines because I have won money at that hotel several times. I rush over there and go where I believe the slot machines are, and once again there are only pinball machines. I just don’t know what to do.

My next dream. I am in the hotel. I see the slot machines. I am excited. I approach the machines and put some money in them and pull the lever and I look at the machine and it has turned into a pinball machine. I am furious. I asked the person sitting next to me, “Wasn’t there a slot machine just here?” They say, “No, Las Vegas doesn’t have slot machines anymore.” I am just about to lose my mind! I want to slap this person.

Then I dream that I am putting money in the slot machine and I pull the lever and I win. As a matter of fact, I hit the jackpot.

Then it seems the dreams start all over again. Sometimes I have taken a few people with me and they think that I am crazy and that I have misled them about knowing where Las Vegas is or where the fun is. Just this week I had two more of these dreams.

The dream that woke me up this morning and led me to submitting my dream was a little different. I dreamed that I was in Las Vegas with some friends we were staying at one of the hotels. I told everyone how I had won so much money in Vegas and how lucky I was. (This is a true statement). They seemed to be impressed and they wanted me to take them to the lucky spots, so I said OK.

We left that hotel. I remember walking over a bridge and at the end there was a lady selling dresses. We stopped to buy some dresses. This time I didn’t get to the strip because I chose to do something else. I wasn’t so driven to get there. As a matter of fact, I felt no urgency, so I felt no frustration. When I woke up I did not feel any remorse about not getting there.

Please help!

—Heidi

Hi Heidi—

Given the background you provide, it appears that you have associated Las Vegas with your divorce! Divorce is a destination that seems perpetually out of reach in your waking life, while Las Vegas, similarly, is forever out of reach in your dreams.

In your waking life you are experiencing the same frustration that you feel in your dreams. Just when you think you’ve gotten there (divorce), it turns out you haven’t (you get another letter from the lawyers). Or when you do get there, it doesn’t look like you know it should. (You still receive letters or phone calls from your husband’s friends, who can’t seem to understand the meaning of the word “over.”)

During this same period, you also have been frustrated professionally. This is another area where you have been “trying to reach destination” (a career goal), but, until recently, you were unsuccessful.

Your association to Las Vegas clearly is monetary, though I suspect Las Vegas also holds other meanings for you—including power and independence. As you have struggled with divorce proceedings and an unhappy work situation, you almost certainly have longed for “change in status” in your life. Accordingly, Las Vegas, where you have won money before, may allude to the money you expect to “win” in a divorce settlement, but it also most likely represents your broader goals of empowerment and independence.

Have you recognized the positive change that occurred in your dreams just last night? Dresses in dreams represent our selves—our self-expression, and our personal style. On your most recent journey to Vegas, you stop to buy a new dress. Shopping itself is an act of empowerment, and trying on a new dress is a sign that you are indeed moving forward in your life personally, excited about the future, and allowing yourself to enjoy “putting on a new role.”

The cause of this dream has to be your excitement about your new job, which you start in just a few weeks. The bridge that you cross is yet another symbol of transition. (Bridges take us from one location to another). Finally, it is very significant that you are not so driven to arrive on the strip—to arrive at your lucky spots. If your new job has given you a positive outlook on the future, and if it has eased some of your financial concerns, then this is the cause for this welcome change in your dreams. You are “in Vegas,” and you know you are going to get where you want to go.

What’s the meaning of this new dream? With a new job tucked under your belt, you are much more confident that you will indeed arrive at this long sought after location of empowerment and independence. Congratulations on reaching this important turning point in your journey! It’s been a long trip, and you deserve to win the jackpot!