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Hershey Neri opens up about surviving assault, finding healing through therapy

Article (news)

Leah C. Salterio

MANILA — Actress, host and content creator Hershey Neri opened up about surviving a traumatic assault during her college years, sharing how therapy, humor and family support helped her heal from the experience.Speaking to ABS-CBN News, Neri recalled being attacked near the University of the Philippines Manila campus in 2015 when she was 19 years old.“He physically strangled me,” Neri said, recalling how the incident changed the course of her life.“First time that it happened to me when I was physically assaulted by a man. I shouted for help, but people just looked at me. No one helped me. That was a very traumatic incident and I reported it to our school because the one who assaulted me was also a student,&quot; said Neri, now 30.“Eventually, while I fought out the case in court, the evidence I presented was not accepted. I just took a picture that showed my neck turn red. I didn’t know that in my case, I need to have medico legal in the findings. Katapat ko lang ang PGH [Philippine General Hospital]. But at 19, I was angry with the world and I was angry at myself after what happened.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1779839517774att.T0NOhyQHJvU6JSBab6cbsw6ZTdrVDImUSQSTlAjwquw.jpeg" style="width:655px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div>While her friends and classmates spent their nights out, Neri said she was attending court hearings and dealing with subpoenas and legal letters — an experience she described as far removed from a normal teenage life.“That was in total contrast of my childhood which was really fun, happy and safe. My world turned 180 degrees,&quot; she noted.“My harasser even graduated cum laude, while I got even delayed by one sem. I couldn’t finish my thesis. I wasn’t able to complete my internship. I was so down. I lost in the case. When that happened, I was in survival mode. I really thought that was the end of it. I will forever be the victim.&quot;That perspective changed after a conversation with her sister, who encouraged her to see herself not as “the kawawang girl” but as someone who survived a difficult chapter in her life.“Words are so powerful and I switched the narrative. We are not shaped past. I decided to move forward. I refuse to call myself the victim. I realized, I’m the victor,” she said.Neri eventually decided to start working at ABS-CBN Publishing as a writer. “I worked in comedy, so it’s online entertainment,” shared Neri. “Many people asked me how I handle the pressure of entertainment.”One night, while working overtime, she thought she saw the guy who assaulted her. She hid under a table and was in a fetal position, crying. That prompted her to go into therapy.“Therapy really changed my life,” Neri admitted. “It’s not true na kaartehan lang ang therapy. I was really so grateful God led me to my therapist. I wanted to understand trauma more. I wanted to understand what was happening more.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1779839558430att.DSxbz4QorbPQwdlMla4XSDa4zlfq7kOyU8z3y97rE8o.jpeg" style="width:655px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div>Neri was one of the speakers at the 56th Annual Convention and Scientific Meeting of the Philippine Heart Association, where she talked about mental health. Two doctors were also in the discussion: Dr. Ed Lapiz, founder of Day by Day Christian Ministries, and Dr. Joan Mae Perez-Rifareal, president of the Philippine Psychiatric Association.Neri said she immersed herself in graduate studies at Ateneo de Manila University while simultaneously undergoing therapy, a process she described as emotionally exhausting.She recalled frequently breaking down after therapy sessions and questioning why the pain still felt as fresh as it did on the first day. Through counseling, Neri said she learned that healing can be painful because it requires reopening emotional wounds before recovery can begin.“At the same time, I realized I had to be the daughter, the sister, the student, the friend,” she said, adding that balancing everyday responsibilities while healing involved constant “trial and error.”Neri also shared that therapy taught her there is no single “correct” way to process trauma. She admitted she initially coped through humor, often joking about her experience and later feeling guilty for reacting that way.Her therapist, however, explained that humor can also serve as a form of protection and healing.“That’s why I work in comedy and I’m so passionate in making people laugh because laughter is medicine,” Neri said.Another important lesson, she said, was learning the value of simply being heard. Looking back at her 19-year-old self, Neri said what she needed most was someone willing to listen rather than immediately tell her what to do or how to fight back.“So if you know someone in this position, you just need to ask, ‘How can I help?’” she said.Neri credited her recovery to the support of her family, friends and faith, describing their home as a safe space where emotions and difficult conversations were welcomed.“I’m strong because I have my family to back me up,” she said. “You really have to have a strong sense of self and part of that is knowing who are the people who love you for you.”

Actress, host and content creator Hershey Neri opened up about surviving a traumatic assault during her college years, sharing how therapy, humor and family support helped her heal from the experience.

Actress, host and content creator Hershey Neri opened up about surviving a traumatic assault during her college years, sharing how therapy, humor and family support helped her heal from the experience.