Abstract
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been characterized as a disorder of dysregulation in multiple areas. The biosocial theory proposed by Marsha Linehan explains the disorder as originating from both biological and social components in an individual’s life. One biological component that has not been widely studied is sensory processing. This is despite neurobiological evidence suggesting that emotion regulation and sensory regulation occur in many of the same areas of the brain. This dissertation explores the connection between emotion and sensory dysregulation, particularly in individuals with BPD. The author presents three products examining this connection and argues for the importance of including sensory dysregulation as a biological component of the biosocial theory of DBT as well as the biopsychosocial model of social work education. The first product is a conceptual paper introducing the connection between sensory and emotional dysregulation in BPD. The second product is a qualitative systematic review of the literature exploring the current understanding of how sensory dysregulation impacts emotional dysregulation with an emphasis on BPD. Finally, the third product is a presentation at a professional conference for social work educators focusing on the need to include sensory processing as a biological component of the biopsychosocial model taught in social work education programs.