The emergence of local chaotic antiphase states and self-induced switc
hing among the ruins of local chaotic antiphase attractors (i.e. chaot
ic itinerancy) leading to fully developed global chaos have been demon
strated by numerical simulations in a model of intracavity second-harm
onic generation in multimode lasers. Dynamical characterization of cha
otic itinerancy has been carried out using circulation analysis.