Super-Natural In My Stories

I have been thinking of the ways some of the beginning writers I have met in the last couple of years turn to supernatural in their stories. Ghosts, haunted houses, spirits. On the one hand, I am fascinated by the idea of super/sur/however-else-you-might-put-it natural, and I think, in my own works, I have crossed that realism/non-realism border much more freely in my poems. In reality, I am always trying to figure out if I am not using the super-natural as a coping-out mechanism. The truth is, a lot of writers I have met in the last two years, do tend to do that. I have written a story with a ghost. I have tried my hand at creating an alternate world, and I must admit, I have a lot more to learn in this field before I can do even any mild-level justice to these forms. But most importantly, I am afraid that sometimes I am really using the super-natural to let me not have to deal with certain contradictions, rather than facilitating an exploration of that contradictions. So, for now, while revising the stories I am working on, I will stay away from them, although there have been suggestions to do so. And I am almost tempted.