The effort to articulate key psychoanalytic concepts in terms of the neurophysiology of action is a promising undertaking that opens perspectives for a fruitful dialogue between psychoanalysis and modern sensorimotor neurosciences. For this to happen it is important to operationalize these psychoanalytic concepts more precisely. In this commentary, articulate distinctions are proposed between free association and, respectively, (1) unconscious processing, (2) a minimally constrained executive task, (3) spontaneity and intentionality, (4) primary-process mentation, and (5) ego function. In particular, the opposite understandings of “free” as either “free of defense” or “able to choose beyond unconscious inclinations” are discussed.