My ex husband was a narcissist. We were married for just shy of 3 years before I left him. His favorite thing to do was to call me a worthless effing c*nt. The day he told me I was one, my sister was one, my mother was one, and that I came from a long line of c**** was the day I made my final decision to leave him for good. Funny enough, I HAD left him and moved back to my hometown. He was there to help me put together my daughter's toddler bed (in the hopes of getting me back) and all that went down before we could even get to my dad's house where we'd be staying.
It took a long time to get back to myself after I left. When my current husband and I reflect on that time right after I left my ex, he remembered how I would open my mouth to say something, and then immediately close it. I was scared to say anything, for fear it would lead to a fight. (My ex husband was emotionally abusive and then it started to get physical at the end)
I think emotional abuse is every bit as damaging as physical....maybe even more so.