This is also a player mindset issue. If a player is told, "If you go into such-and-such dungeon, you'll have to fight to fight a bunch of monsters," most will reply, "great, let's go" because (1) this is an acceptable and fun part of the game, and (2) there are tangible rewards for defeating monsters, i.e. XP and treasure. There is risk of character death , curses, loss of favorite toys, and so on, but a player does not hesitate if he knows he stands to gain more than he will probably lose. You could run a campaign of wilderness survival consisting entirely of encounters with treasureless animals, but many players would not consider that "fun" --such an environmental challenge is better applied as a temporary diversion from a more normal campaign setting where there's gold and magic items to be discovered and more interesting critters to fight.
The issue here may be lack of incentive to participate. The benefit of story participation and advancement can be effective, but only to a point. Unless a player is a Real Roleplayer (tm), he or she expects more out of the game than the warm fuzzy feelings that come from performing heroic deeds and fighting evil.
Perhaps if a Dread Pool manifestation (Very Bad Thing) carried with it and XP bonus along with whatever XP was earned surviving it normally, players will regard less as an obstacle to enjoyment and more as an opportunity for DM curve balls.