My husband talks to me that way too. He has a very low self esteem as your wife. I don't think the problem is the communication, it's our spouses. They don't love themselves, so how can they love someone else? They don't respect themselves, so they disrespect us. I have grown tremendously over the last year, I'm so much stronger. I've stopped blaming myself and started sticking up for myself. I am becoming a better person and he's going through hell right now, but there's nothing I can do about it. Everything that's going on is his choice. My husband, as well as your wife, has to face what the deep problem is. More than likely it goes back to their childhood. I think my husband was molested, he thinks so but can't remember anything. He needs to face it but doesn't want to know if it happened or not. What he doesn't understand, is that if he would face it he could move on. Otherwise, he's gonna be in this pit for the rest of his life; running away from everything.
Hope this helps,
I know what you're going through